Certification Standards for 3 Types of Biodegradable Packaging Materials: Compostable, Biodegradable, and Recyclable — Distinguish These 3 Labels Before Sending Samples for Testing

This April, a printing factory in Guangdong that produces export lunch boxes received an order from a Dutch customer: 1 million sugarcane-bagasse lunch boxes requiring "degradable" certification. After submitting samples for testing, the factory obtained an ASTM D6400 report, but the customer said, "We don't want D6400 (compostable); we want OK Compost under EN 13432." Although the two standard numbers sound similar, their testing scenarios are entirely different. The factory resubmitted its samples for testing, causing a 2-month delay and nearly resulting in a breach of contract.

This is the most common pitfall when submitting degradable packaging for testing: printing companies assume that "degradable" means "compostable," but internationally, "degradable," "compostable," and "recyclable" are 3 independent certification systems with completely different boundaries. Below is a detailed explanation of all 3 categories.

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

Industrial compostability certification is the easiest of the three certifications for printing plants to obtain. Its core requirement is that the material must degrade by more than 90% into carbon dioxide, water, and humus within 90-180 days under controlled industrial composting conditions (temperature of 58±2℃, moisture, mechanical aeration, and specific microbial communities).

ASTM D6400 (United States)

Test items:

Degradation rate ≥ 90% within 180 days

Ecotoxicity (degradation products are non-toxic to plant growth)

Heavy metal residue limits

Applicable materials: PLA, PHA, starch-based plastics, and other biobased plastics.

The most common mistake printing plants make: ASTM D6400 applies to "industrial composting," not "home composting." A printing plant may submit its materials for testing and receive a D6400 report, but the customer's actual end-use is household waste—and home composting temperatures reach only 25-40℃. A material that is degradable under the "industrial temperatures" required by D6400 may take 1 year—or even longer—to degrade under home composting conditions.

EN 13432(EU)

Test items: Similar to ASTM D6400, but more stringent. EN 13432 also requires:

Disintegration test (disintegration: ≥ 90% of granules smaller than 2mm within 12 weeks)

Ecotoxicity testing (on plants and aquatic organisms)

Compost Quality Impact Testing

EN 13432 is the EU “threshold.” Products that obtain EN 13432 certification may use the “OK Compost” mark (issued by TÜV Austria).

GB/T 19277-2011 (Chinese National Standard)

The test items are similar to EN 13432, but the test conditions are conducted in accordance with the national standard GB/T 19277. Some domestic brands, especially those producing exportable biodegradable products, must simultaneously obtain dual reports for GB/T 19277 and EN 13432.

HJ/T 209-2005 (Chinese Industry Standard)

Issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, applicable to biodegradable plastic packaging. More granular than GB/T 19277 in addressing specific plastic packaging scenarios.

Type II: Degradable Plastics Certification — ASTM D7081 / OECD 301

Biodegradable plastics certification and "compostability certification" are two independent systems. The core requirement is that the material can be broken down by microorganisms in natural environments (soil, freshwater, seawater) or under specified conditions.

ASTM D7081 (United States)

Applicable materials: degradable plastics (primarily photodegradable and biodegradable plastics). Test conditions:

≥ 60% degradation in activated sludge over 28 days

Soil burial for 180 days ≥ 70% degradation

Note: ASTM D7081 tests "degradation in activated sludge/soil," not "composting conditions."

OECD 301 / ISO 17540 (International)

The OECD 301 series is the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) test standard for “intrinsic biodegradability.” ISO 17540 is the corresponding version issued by the International Organization for Standardization.

Inspection items:

≥ 60% mineralized in activated sludge within 28 days (CO₂ release)

10-day window period passed

The most common pitfall for printing plants: ASTM D7081 and OECD 301 are both certifications for “degradable plastics,” but they are not interchangeable with “compostability certification.” If a printing plant submits an OECD 301 report for testing, the client requires a D6400 compostability report—the two standards are different, so samples must be submitted for testing separately.

Category 3: Recyclability Certification — GB/T 18455 / ISO 14021 / ASTM D5488 / EN 17130

“Recyclable” and “biodegradable” or “compostable” are completely different concepts. Recyclable packaging refers to packaging whose material can be reprocessed into new products. There are 4 common standards for recyclable packaging labels:

GB/T 18455-2010

The Chinese national standard specifies the graphics, symbols, and meanings of packaging recycling marks. The "triangular arrows" used for recycling marks are specified in GB/T 18455.

ISO 14021

International standards specify the specific requirements for “recyclable” claims. When a printing plant applies a “recyclable” mark to packaging, it must satisfy the claim requirements of ISO 14021.

ASTM D5488-14

U.S. standards specify the terminology and symbol system for recycling markings.

EN 17130

EU standards specify the graphic and declaration requirements for packaging recycling labels.

A common mistake made by printing plants is treating “recyclable” as “biodegradable.” Recyclable materials (such as PET and HDPE) may take 100-1000 years to degrade in the natural environment; biodegradable materials (such as PLA), when placed in recycling streams, may contaminate the recycling stream and cause PET recyclate to be downgraded. The two are not interchangeable.

Boundaries of the Three Types of Certification: One Table at a Glance

Certification TypeCore StandardTesting ScenarioTesting DurationCertification MarkCommon MaterialsIndustrial compostingASTM D6400 / EN 13432 / GB/T 19277 / HJ/T 209Industrial composting conditions (58℃, mechanical stirring)90-180 daysOK Compost / Seedling / National standard compostPLA, PHA, starch-basedBiodegradable plasticsASTM D7081 / OECD 301 / ISO 17540Soil/Activated sludge/Seawater28-180 daysCountry-specific labelingPBAT, PCL, PBSRecyclableGB/T 18455 / ISO 14021 / ASTM D5488 / EN 17130Recycling stream (reprocessing)NoneTriangle arrow markingPET, HDPE, PP, paper, metal, glass

4 Self-Check Items Before Sending Samples to the Printing Plant

Self-check item 1: Which scenario does the customer need?Is it an “industrial composting facility,” “home composting,” “landfill disposal,” or “recycling stream”? Different scenarios require different certifications. Sending the wrong test means wasting money.

Self-inspection item 2: Validity period of the test report. Biodegradable/compostability certification reports are generally valid for 2-5 years, but they become invalid if the material formulation is changed. The printing plant must retain the latest test report.

Self-inspection item 3: Use of marks. “OK Compost,” “Seedling,” and the “triangle arrow” are all copyrighted marks and may not be used without authorization; any unauthorized use constitutes infringement. The printing factory must obtain written authorization from the certifying body before printing them on the packaging.

Self-inspection item 4: Regulations in the customer's destination country. The United States uses ASTM, the European Union uses EN, China uses GB/T, Switzerland uses OK Compost, and Japan uses GreenPla. The same product exported to different countries may require different certifications.

The 3 Most Commonly Confused Concepts in Printing Factories

Common confusion 1: “Biodegradable” and “Compostable.”Biodegradable covers a broader scope (including degradation in soil and activated sludge), whereas compostable is merely a subset of biodegradable (under industrial composting conditions).

Common Confusion 2: "Industrial Composting" vs. "Home Composting".EN 13432 is for industrial composting, while EN 17427 is for home composting; the two standards have different requirements.

Misconception 3: "Recyclable" and "biodegradable" are not synonymous. Recyclable emphasizes the ability to be "reprocessed," while biodegradable emphasizes the ability to "break down and disappear." PLA is both biodegradable and non-recyclable (it contaminates mainstream PET recycling streams); PET is both recyclable and non-biodegradable (it does not decompose in soil for 100 years).

FAQ

Frequently asked questions have been consolidated in the FAQ section.

Further reading

Compostable vs. Biodegradable vs. Recyclable: 3 Label Differences That Should Not Be Blurred—Compliance Boundaries for Brand Listings in Europe and the U.S.

Bagasse / PLA / Bamboo Fiber / Mycelium: How to Choose Among 4 Bio-Based Packaging Materials?

Gaps in Implementing the 4 Types of Packaging Recycling Marks: GB/T 18455 / ISO 14021 / ASTM D5488 / EN 17130