EN 13432 vs ASTM D6400: Industrial Composting vs Home Composting — The Real Differences Among the Three Types of Standards and the 3 Things You Should Confirm Before Sending Samples to a Testing Laboratory

European and American customers request “degradable” packaging, and printers generally default to EN 13432 or ASTM D6400 when quoting. But what these two standards actually test, how large the differences are in practice, and which one should be used in which application are not something that 90% of printers truly understand before accepting an order. As a result, customers’ shipments may be flagged by European or American supermarkets or customs authorities over labeling issues, forcing printers to rework the jobs. This article clarifies the practical differences among 3 categories of standards and highlights 3 common pitfalls printers face when submitting samples for testing.

EN 13432 vs ASTM D6400: Same figures, different test conditions

At first glance, EN 13432 (EU) and ASTM D6400 (US) are both "industrial composting" standards, and the key figure in both is "90% degradation to below 2mm within 180 days." However, their actual test conditions vary significantly:

This means that the same PLA food container may pass EN 13432 but fail ASTM D6400 because its heavy metal content exceeds 0.5%, as ASTM lists heavy metals as a separate criterion. Therefore, before the printing plant submits the container for testing, it must first ask the customer whether EN 13432 or ASTM D6400 compliance is required.

Category 1: Industrial Composting — EN 13432 + ASTM D6400 + GB/T 19277

"Industrial Composting" refers to the degradation of materials within 180 days at a professional composting facility, using 58°C high temperatures, forced aeration, and microbial inoculation. Measured differences across three types of standards:

Real Case: A Brand's Sugarcane Bagasse Food Container Fails ASTM D6400

In May 2025, a printing factory in Zhejiang produced sugarcane-biomass meal boxes for a U.S. customer and obtained a passing EN 13432 test report. After the customer took the boxes to the United States for retail distribution, the supermarket required an ASTM D6400 report. The printing factory resubmitted the boxes for testing, and the results showed that the lead content exceeded the standard limit (110 mg/kg), landing exactly on the ASTM threshold. The customer rejected the entire batch of 300,000 meal boxes, causing the printing factory a loss of RMB 450,000.

Printer’s mistake: bagasse raw material contains trace amounts of lead, which are permitted by EU standards but not by ASTM standards. This detail of “a 10 mg/kg difference” means that, before submitting samples for testing, the printer must first review the raw material test report and must not assume that all standards have been met.

Type II: Home Composting — OK Compost HOME + ASTM D6958 + NF T51-800

"Home Composting" is a stricter standard—it means that materials can break down in a household backyard at natural temperatures of 25-40°C with a relatively small number of microorganisms. Measured differences among the 3 categories of standards:

Real Case: A Brand's PLA Cup Sticker Was Fined for Bearing an OK Compost HOME Label

In September 2024, a printing factory in Shenzhen was producing PLA cold drink cups for a German customer, who required the cups to bear the OK Compost HOME label. The factory did not verify whether that batch of PLA had actually passed OK Compost HOME testing and applied the label directly. After the goods arrived in Germany, market supervision authorities sampled them and found that the PLA had degraded by only 25% after 180 days at a natural temperature of 25°C—far from meeting the required standard. The entire batch of 120,000 items was ordered to be withdrawn from the market, and the printing factory paid a compensation of 180,000 euros (approximately 1.4 million RMB).

Printer's mistake: PLA can pass industrial composting (58°C), but it almost cannot pass home composting (25-30°C)—this is a physical limitation. When the customer requires a "home compostable" label, the material must be PBAT + starch or pure pulp; PLA cannot be used.

Category 3: Degradable (composting scenario not specified)——EN 13443 + GB/T 19275 + OECD 301B

Some customers do not require "compostable" but only "biodegradable" (Biodegradable)—a less stringent standard, with 3 categories:

Real Case: A Brand’s “Biodegradable” Plastic Bags Passed OECD 301B but Were Not Actually Biodegradable

In January 2025, a printing factory in Guangdong produced plastic bags for a Southeast Asian customer and labeled them "degradable." The bags passed the OECD 301B test (68% degradation within 28 days). However, after the customer used the bags in Southeast Asia, they showed no obvious degradation after being buried in soil for 6 months. Following the complaint, the printing factory discovered that OECD 301B is merely a "laboratory accelerated test" and cannot demonstrate actual degradation in soil. The factory was forced to recall the bags and rename them "biodegradable," incurring a loss of 120,000 yuan.

Lesson: In degradability standards, “degradation in real-world conditions” and “degradation in a laboratory” are two different concepts. When the printing plant submits samples for testing, the customer must specify which degradation scenario they require—soil? Composting? Ocean?

3 Real Pitfalls Before Sending Prints to the Printer for Inspection

3-Step Self-Assessment for Printing Plants Accepting European and American Eco-Friendly Orders

The compliance costs for environmentally friendly packaging are 8-15% higher for European and American orders than for domestic orders, primarily due to testing fees (RMB 20,000-30,000 per EN 13432 report, similar for ASTM D6400, and RMB 40,000-50,000 per OK Compost HOME report). If customers are unwilling to cover these costs, the printing plant should preferably decline the order; otherwise, if any stage goes wrong later, the losses could reach RMB 300,000-1,000,000.

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