Additives used in the manufacture of polymeric products made of biodegradable materials greater than 1 wt% need to comply with the European Norm DIN EN 13432. According to the norm a material is defined to be biodegradable, if it is naturally capable being degraded in new biomass, mineral salts, water, and carbon dioxide in the environment. Most chemically unmodified organic materials and constituents of natural origin, such us starch, cellulose or lignocellulose are biodegradable in nature. Therefore, the materials are accepted as being biodegradable in the different environments (i.e., home compost, industrial compost, and soil) according to DIN EN 13432. However, they must be chemically characterized and meet the criteria for disintegration and compost quality. Under these conditions, UPM BioMotion™ RFF has passed the required tests and have been awarded the certification mark “DIN-Geprüft Additive EN 13432” in conjunction with the registration number 8Z0085 by DIN CERTCO with unlimited use quantity, a maximum concentration of 100 wt%, in the final product. In addition, DIN CERTCO confirmed UPM BioMotion™ RFF as being biodegradable in industrial, home, and soil environments.
In connection with the different composting environments, UPM BioMotion™ RFF demonstrates conformity according to DIN EN ISO 22403 for the assessment of biodegradability in the marine environment. On this basis, UPM BioMotion™ RFF has passed the required tests and have been awarded the certification mark “DIN-Geprüft Biodegradable in Marine Environment” in conjunction with the registration number 11Z0001 by DIN CERTCO with unlimited use quantity, a maximum concentration of 100 wt%, in the final product.
In line with DIN CERTCO’s certification work, UPM BioMotion™ RFF has been awarded the compostable ‘Seedling’ mark in conjunction with the registration number 7Z0047. The Seedling logo is a registered trademark owned by European Bioplastics. It proved that UPM BioMotion™ RFF is certified industrially compostable according to EN 13432 as well as the additional requirements in EN 14995, ISO 18606, ISO 17088, and/or ASTM D6400. In turn, the ‘Seedling’ offers a basis for transparency including all parties within the supply chain to produce biodegradable polymeric products made of biodegradable raw materials and additives.
However, the final product can only be certified as compostable, if all its components with concentrations greater than 1 wt% meet the same high standards of compostability under the frame of DIN EN 13432. By using raw materials like UPM BioMotion™ RFF or semi-finished products that have already been certified by DIN CERTCO, manufacturers can make sure to receive the certification under the frame of DIN EN 13432 for their products. At the end a truly circular economic operation is possible by using renewable raw materials to build up biodegradable polymers and return them after use via composting as new biomass to nature. Information about the certificates can be viewed in the publicly accessible database of DIN CERTCO www.dincertco.tuv.com.