Biodegradable and compostable are terms that are often used when describing environmentally friendly products, but what is the difference?
Biodegradable means that a material can be broken down into natural elements, carbon dioxide, water, and biomass by microorganisms. Unlike compostable, the term biodegradable means very little, as everything is biodegradable given time. Therefore, it is very important to specify the environment where biodegradation will take place.
Composting is the process of breaking down organic waste by microorganism to create compost without harmful toxic residues. Compost is beneficial for improving and fertilizing soil.
To claim that a product is fully biodegradable or compostable, the product must meet all the requirements in the European Norm EN 13432. This specification require that compostable products completely decompose in a composting setting in a specific time frame, leaving no harmful residues behind.
On the right a photo of our BioAgri Mulch film. BioAgri is certified biodegradable in soil and due to its biodegradability, the film residues can simply be ploughed into the soil at the end of the crop cycle, and it will break down to water, carbon dioxide and humus/biomass.
