Certifications

At Ecoworld, we are dedicated to ensuring that our products meet the highest standards of compostability, ensuring both commercial and home usability. This commitment is reflected in our extensive range of products, many of which carry the TÜV AUSTRIA OK compost HOME certification, alongside the BPI certification for compostability. We believe it is important for you to understand the significance of these certifications and the distinctions that exist between them.

BPI Certified Compostable

The BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) is a non-profit organization and a leading authority on compostable products and packaging in North America.

Products and packaging with the BPI Certified Compostable mark meet BPI standards for commercial compostability. This means that those products can be composted at commercial composting facilities, where temperatures and airflow are controlled to create an optimal composting environment.

As BPI is a North American organization, their compostability requirements are primarily based on ASTM standards, while being supplemented by ISO standards and OECD standards for specific materials.

OK compost HOME

The OK compost HOME certification is issued by TÜV AUSTRIA, a reputable international testing and certification company based in Austria. It is the basis of many countries’ standards, and a product must undergo rigorous testing and meet specific conditions to achieve this certification.

Products and packaging with the OK compost HOME mark (as seen above) meet TÜV AUSTRIA standards for home compostability. This means that those products can be composted in a home environment (i.e. gardens, home compost bins, etc.) and do not require specialized environments or facilities that commercially compostable products would.

As TÜV AUSTRIA is a European company, their compostability requirements are primarily based on EN (European Norm) standards, while being supplemented by ISO standards, OECD standards, and ASTM standards for specific materials.

Commercial Compostability vs. Home Compostability

You may have noticed that in the above introductions to the certifications, the terms commercial compostability and home compostability were put in bold. This is because it is important to know the difference between the two, since the requirements for materials to meet these standards are quite different.

COMMERCIAL COMPOSTABILITY means that the material is able to be composted in a commercial composting facility according to commercial composting methods. Examples of these methods include in-vessel composting, which refers to a group of methods in which the waste material is placed in a container or machine that controls the airflow and temperatures in which the composting process is conducted. Commercial composting typically happens at temperatures between 50°C to 60°C (122°F to 140°F), and steady airflow is maintained so that microbial organisms that break down the materials have a steady supply of oxygen.

HOME COMPOSTABILITY means that the material is able to be composted in a home environment (i.e. gardens or home compost bins), as opposed to requiring the more stringent environmental conditions needed by commercially compostable materials. Home compostability tests are conducted at ambient temperatures, usually 20°C to 30°C (68°F to 86°F).