Hydropol™ has passed the Indian Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics – IS/ISO 17088 (2008): Specifications for Compostable Plastics [PCD 12: Plastics].
In order to differentiate and distinguish bioplastics from conventional plastics and for bioplastics to be considered as compostable, set standards need to be met before they can obtain a certain label/certification.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies).
The test was conducted by the CIPET: Institute of Plastics Technology, the only government body for testing compostable plastics which is considered to be a top-ranking institute.
A sample of Hydropol™ film was tested using the specification ISO 17088:2012, of which the following four aspects were addressed:
- Biodegradation;
- Disintegration during compostinq ;
- Negative effects on the composting process and facility;
- Negative effects on the quality of the resulting compost, including the presence of high levels of regulated metals and other harmful components.
ISO: 17088 : 2008 is equivalent to international test standards EN 13432 : 2000 Packaging, ASTM D6400 : 1999 Standard Specification for compostable plastics or ASTM D 5338 : 1998 Standard test method for determining aerobic biodegradation of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions.
The full specification document and certification can be found here.
The Interim Report from the CIPET can be found here.
