Compostable Packaging: Industrial Composting, Home Composting and Collection Systems

A compostable claim can mislead customers when the finished package lacks supporting evidence or the local collection system rejects it. Check material construction, finished-item evidence, collection and facility acceptance before deciding the wording.

• Material: identify every substrate, coating and polymer; select the applicable industrial or home route.
• Finished item: obtain evidence for the complete SKU. This page recommends third-party certification as procurement evidence; it is not a universal legal requirement across markets.
• Collection: identify a route customers can actually use in each sales area.
• Acceptance: obtain the receiving facility’s current rules for that item, not merely its address.

These are procurement checks. Market-specific rules may separately require certification; the FTC section below describes the U.S. Green Guides’ substantiation and qualification approach, without replacing claim review.

Four terms that are not interchangeable

EPA states that plastics made from plant materials can be structurally identical to petroleum-based plastics and are not necessarily biodegradable. It also says that plastic that is compostable is biodegradable, but not every biodegradable plastic is compostable. BPI cautions that the word “biodegradable” is problematic in sales and marketing for single-use items. For procurement documents, the safe approach is to avoid “biodegradable” as a standalone claim and to write exactly which attribute you mean.

Degradation also depends on conditions. A peer-reviewed review of PLA notes that biodegradation of bio-based thermoplastics can occur only under particular conditions, and that the rate depends on temperature, moisture, crystallinity, molecular weight and other factors. A package that disintegrates in a hot, managed pile may sit intact in a cool backyard bin.

Standards and certification

ASTM D6400 and D6868

The official catalogue lists D6400-26 and D6868-21 as active editions, checked October 8, 2026. Both concern aerobic municipal or industrial composting under thermophilic conditions; neither establishes home compostability.

The scopes overlap in their reference to coatings and binders. Use the complete construction and the certifier’s scope decision, rather than assuming that material names alone choose the standard. This outline uses the public catalogue scopes; it does not reproduce the paid test criteria. Record both standard edition and certificate coverage for the actual SKU.

EN 13432

EN 13432 is the European standard for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation. Suppliers often cite it alongside ASTM D6400, as in NatureWorks’ statement that its resin is certified under EN 13432 and ASTM D6400/BPI. If you sell in Europe, ask which standard and which certification body apply to the finished item in the EU market. This guide does not summarize the standard’s criteria.

BPI

BPI describes its certification as third-party verification of ASTM standards for compostable products in North America. According to BPI, certified products must meet ASTM compostability standards, satisfy eligibility rules tied to food scraps and yard trimmings, stay within total fluorine (PFAS) limits and carry the BPI mark. A certificate is a useful document, but it applies to the product listed on it. Check the certificate’s product name, manufacturer and scope against what you are buying.

Resin certificates are not item certificates

NatureWorks’ documentation states that all final products made from its resin must undergo their own compostability testing. The same principle applies to any resin: thickness, additives, inks, coatings, adhesives and closures can change how an item behaves. A certified resin is a starting point. You cannot pass its claim on to the finished package.

Industrial composting vs home composting

EPA states that unless a label says a product is acceptable for home composting, you should not try to compost it at home, and that industrial facilities operate at higher temperatures and different conditions than backyard bins. EPA also says there are no ASTM standard test methods for evaluating the ability of a plastic to compost in a home environment. So if a package carries a “home compostable” claim, ask what test method and evidence support it, since no ASTM method exists for plastics in this setting.

An industrially compostable package is not automatically fit for a backyard bin. The FTC Green Guides recognize this. If the item cannot be composted safely or in a timely manner in a home pile, a marketer should clearly and prominently qualify the claim. The Guides’ own example describes a package that will break down in municipal facilities but not in a home pile, and says the manufacturer should disclose that it is not suitable for home composting.

What the FTC Green Guides require

The Green Guides at 16 CFR 260.7 say, in summary, that:

• It is deceptive to misrepresent that a product or package is compostable.
• A marketer claiming compostability should have competent and reliable scientific evidence that all the materials will break down into usable compost in a safe and timely manner, in approximately the same time as the materials they are composted with, in an appropriate facility or a home pile.
• The claim should be clearly and prominently qualified if the item cannot be composted safely or in a timely manner in a home pile, or if the claim misleads about benefits when landfilled.
• The claim should be clearly and prominently qualified if municipal or institutional composting facilities are not available to a substantial majority of consumers or communities where the item is sold.

The Guides give wording such as “Appropriate facilities may not exist in your area” in one example. EPA, citing the Guides, also states that it is deceptive to make an unqualified degradable claim if an item does not fully decompose within a year of normal disposal. This guide summarizes the rules for procurement purposes and is not legal advice. Check claims with counsel before printing them.

Collection and facility acceptance

Buyers most often skip collection. A compostable package needs a route from the customer’s hands to a facility that will take it. NatureWorks’ documentation says the number of composting facilities is currently limited and may not be available near you. A given facility may also decide for its own reasons not to accept compostable plastics at all, even where certified items exist.

Three scenarios show how this plays out:

• Closed-loop service: a venue sells food in compostable packaging and the same operator hauls the waste to a composter that has agreed to accept it. The claim is plausible, because every link is controlled.
• Retail sale with curbside organics: consumers could place the item in a municipal organics bin, but only if that municipality accepts compostable packaging. Acceptance varies by location.
• Retail sale nationally: if facilities are not available to a substantial majority of consumers where the item is sold, the Green Guides call for a qualification.

A related risk is cross-contamination. EPA states that compostable plastics are not intended for recycling and can contaminate and disrupt the recycling stream. APR’s PLA guidance states that PLA is not currently considered recyclable in North America under its definition. A compostable-looking bottle placed in a recycling bin is a sorting problem, and a bottle placed in a compost bin that does not accept it is a facility problem. See the PLA vs PET bottles comparison for the PET stream issue.

Wording for buyers

Prefer statements that name the attribute and the condition. Examples of structure, to be adapted with legal review:

• “Certified industrially compostable to ASTM D6400 (certificate no. ____). Accepted only where commercial composting facilities accept it. Check locally.”
• “Not suitable for home composting.”
• “Made partly from plant-based material.” (Only if the bio-based share has been documented.)

Avoid: “biodegradable” without conditions, “eco-friendly,” and any statement that the package is better for the environment, unless you have the evidence and the conditions are stated.

Record for a compostable claim

Copy one record per SKU and sales area. Blank entries are unresolved checks, not a supported claim.

Common question about disposal

How do I dispose of compostable packaging?

Check the local program’s acceptance rules for the complete item. A nearby composter can still reject packaging; a certificate does not create collection access. If the program rejects it, ask the waste operator about an accepting drop-off route instead of putting it in plastic recycling. EPA’s plastics FAQ gives that disposal sequence.

What needs project-specific validation

Four things need checking on your own project:

• Certification scope: whether your exact item, including the closure and decoration, is covered.
• Local acceptance: whether facilities in your markets accept the item, and whether they accept food-soiled packaging.
• Home composting claims: whether any evidence exists, and which method was used, given that EPA reports no ASTM method for plastics in this setting.
• Product protection: whether the compostable material meets barrier and heat needs. See PLA food packaging and beverage bottle materials for the trade-offs.

Questions to ask suppliers

1. Which standard and edition (for example ASTM D6400 or EN 13432) does the finished item meet, and who issued the certificate?
2. Does the certificate cover the full item, including coatings, inks, adhesives, closures and liners?
3. Is the item certified for home composting? If so, what test method and evidence support the claim?
4. What are the BPI (or equivalent) eligibility conditions for this item, and how are fluorine limits addressed?
5. Which composting facilities in my markets have confirmed acceptance of this item?
6. What labeling do you recommend, and does it include the qualification needed where facilities are limited?
7. What happens to the item in a recycling stream, and how will that risk be communicated to customers?
8. Which statements in your documentation are your own claims, and which come from third-party certificates?
9. What are the performance trade-offs (heat, barrier, strength) compared with a conventional package for my product?
10. Can you provide a written statement of the conditions under which any environmental claim holds true?

For a historical example of how disposal claims were reported for a bottled product, see the case study Green Bottle Spring Water, which separates what was reported then from what a buyer can verify now.