Industrial Compostability Passed off as Home Compostable on Shelf
Finished packaging claims demand independent home compostability certification because industrial resin testing excludes ambient degradation and converting inks.
Ecotoxicity Analysis
Soil Safety
Biological evaluation methods for compostable materials assess whether the residues of decomposed packaging negatively affect plant growth, soil microorganisms, or earthworms. An ecotoxicity analysis is a mandatory step in certifying any biodegradable film, paperboard, or barrier coating, ensuring that the finished compost remains safe for agricultural use. This test compares soil that has received the composted packaging material against a control soil that has only received standard compost.
It protects the food chain from contamination by synthetic chemicals or degradation byproducts.
Germination Assay
Plant growth tests are conducted using specific fast-growing plant species to measure germination and biomass production. During ecotoxicity analysis, species such as barley and summer rape are grown in the test and control soils for a period of several weeks. The germination rate and the plant biomass must not fall below ninety percent of the control plants.
This demonstrates that no phytotoxic substances were released during the decomposition of the packaging material.
Metal Screening
Chemical screenings are conducted alongside the biological tests to measure the concentration of heavy metals and fluorine. High levels of these elements would fail the certification even if the plant growth results are acceptable. This dual-track approach ensures complete environmental safety.