|
FTC cracking down on biodegradability claims
Third-party testing can help substantiate marketing claims
As this story in the Environmental Leader recently pointed out, the Federal Trade Commission is taking a close look at marketing claims about biodegradable plastics. The agency is working to make sure companies follow its revised "Green Guides" published in October 2012.
The FTC issued fines or citations to five companies after finding their marketing messages deceptive or false. In proposed consent orders the FTC prohibits the companies from making claims about biodegradability unless the claims are true and are supported by reliable, scientific evidence.
Although WIST compostability testing cannot by itself ensure a company complies with the Green Guides, it can provide scientific evidence to back marketing claims about compostability of materials. WIST tests materials to ASTM D6400 and D6868 standards. Its testing protocol was developed by waste and soils science faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, which also houses the testing lab.
The D6400 standard was developed for compostable bioplastics. The D6868 standard was developed for products that incorporate plastics or polymers as coatings or additives with paper. For example, a company may be developing a specialty paper such as a coated packaging material, to be marketed to businesses demanding sustainable products. WIST labs can test the material to back claims about its compostability.
The Green Guides state: "A marketer claiming that an item is compostable should have competent and reliable scientific evidence that all the materials in the item will break down into, or otherwise become part of, usable compost (e.g., soil-conditioning material, mulch) in a safe and timely manner (i.e., in approximately the same time as the materials with which it is composted) in an appropriate composting facility, or in a home compost pile or device."
The green guides provide advisories for businesses. For example, a product may technically be biodegradable, but if it is intended for disposal in a landfill then it should not be claimed as biodegradable because it will not biodegrade in a landfill. A product may be compostable but if it is not compostable in a home composting system and commercial composting facilities are not available in the area the product is marketed, the marketing claim of "compostable" may be determined deceptive by the FTC.
To learn more about WIST compostability testing contact John Baldus, WIST director of laboratory services, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 715-346-3265, or contact Paul Fowler, WIST executive director, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 715-346-3767.
Back to top | 
