Data from the pilot will be shared to help shape international standards for field testing compostable packaging and contribute to the launch of an open-source results database. (Credit: pinus2 / Pixabay)
There is currently a lack of public information on the conditions in which compostable packaging degrades. The Compostable Packaging Degradation Pilot is designed to measure and identify the operating conditions that support the degradation of compostable packaging of various materials and formats. The pilot was launched by the Composting Consortium, a collaboration of industry partners managed by Closed Loop Partners. According to the Consortium’s announcement, the initiative is said to be the most comprehensive collaborative study of real-world compostable packaging disintegration in the U.S. to date. “The project marks a milestone for the Consortium, as it aims to improve available data on how certified, food-contact compostable foodware and packaging is currently breaking down at various types of composting facilities––from static piles to worms to GORE® covers. Working with these industrial composting facilities across the U.S., the Compostable Packaging Degradation Pilot will evaluate the disintegration of more than 30 types of certified compostable products and packaging––including compostable cutlery, molded fiber bowls, bioplastic cups and snack packaging––across facilities operating with varying climates, composting methods and equipment. Data gathered from the assessment will inform the Consortium’s broader work to align the rapid growth of compostable packaging with on-the-ground operational and business needs of industrial composters.
Data collected from this pilot will be donated to the Compostable Field Testing Program (CFTP), a non-profit international research platform which facilitates field testing across North America. The CFTP is designed to develop comprehensive baseline data that correlates composting conditions with the disintegration of common compostable products and packaging. The Consortium’s donation of this data will accelerate the open-source publication timeline for the CFTP’s data set. Additionally, the Degradation Pilot will serve as a trial for the first, and still-developing, in-field standard for assessing disintegration of compostable items at compost facilities, under development within ASTM International.”
