The scheme will be run in partnership with German company Din Certo. To gain accreditation, materials must degrade under typical composting conditions and then meet a series of stringent standards.
Markus Weber, product manager at Din Certo, said: “UK packaging producers will, through this certification scheme, be able to prove beyond doubt that their products are compostable (under normal composting conditions) and not just biodegradable.”
Bags
The Composting Association is particularly interested in the scheme's potential for bags used to collect compost. It should draw a clearer line between bags that claim to be “degradable” but simply break into smaller pieces, and those that truly biodegrade in a relatively short period of time.
Tony Breton of the Composting Association, explained: “Lots of bags at the moment don't degrade properly and will turn into hundreds of thousands of little pieces of plastic throughout the compost. This is difficult to sell – contamination is a big barrier for the composting industry.”
The Din Certo scheme, which has been running in Germany since 1997, is also established in Holland and about to be rolled out to Poland. Mr Breton said several major packaging manufacturers were already accredited in Europe and would be on the steering group for the UK version of the scheme.
To achieve certification, materials and additives are tested for heavy metals, complete biodegradation, disintegration under compost conditions, and toxicity to plants.
Labels
Certified products will be identified by clear labels bearing the compostability mark and the registration number given to the product during the certification process. Din Certo said products could be made from registered materials, semi-finished products or registered additives without the need for further comprehensive tests.
The Composting Association will promote the scheme in the UK and provide third party verification by testing all accredited products independently in its own laboratories. Mr Breton said: “There are costs involved but we believe they will be worth it. There are a number of collection receptacles on the market but some of them don't degrade properly within the ground.”
He added: “From a composter's point of view this scheme is ideal because if they see the logo, they know that within one process, it will have dissolved, leaving carbon dioxide and water. It's also going to be very handy for local authorities because where they're collecting in bags, they can specify they need to be up to these standards.”
Subscribe for free