EN 13432 compostable certification is the reference buyers meet whenever compostable packaging is quoted for the European market. It is not a marketing label a supplier applies to itself: it is the outcome of third-party laboratory testing against a defined compostable standard, and it exists because biodegradable claims were too easy to make and too hard to prove. This guide explains what the standard actually requires, what a valid certificate covers, and the checks worth running before an order is placed.
What EN 13432 compostable certification actually tests
EN 13432:2000, the European standard for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation, sets four requirements. A material must biodegrade, disintegrate, leave no harmful residues and not damage compost quality, each measured under controlled conditions.
| Requirement | What is measured | Pass criterion |
|---|---|---|
| Biodegradation | CO2 evolved under controlled composting (ISO 14855) | At least 90% of organic carbon converted within 180 days |
| Disintegration | Physical breakdown in pilot-scale composting (ISO 16929) | After 12 weeks, no more than 10% of material remains on a 2 mm sieve |
| Ecotoxicity | Plant growth in the finished compost (OECD 207 and 208) | No adverse effect on germination or biomass versus control compost |
| Chemical safety | Heavy-metal content of the material | Within regulated limits, for example Cd 0.5 ppm, Hg 0.5 ppm, Pb 50 ppm, Cr 50 ppm, Cu 50 ppm, Zn 150 ppm |
Industrial composting, not the garden heap
EN 13432 certifies industrial composting performance: test conditions model managed facilities running at roughly 55-60 degrees C with aeration and moisture control. A certified tray will not reliably break down in a home heap at ambient temperature, and dropping it into a conventional recycling stream is contamination. Where a product must also break down in garden composting, buyers look for a separate home-composting scheme, the OK compost HOME mark or the Australian AS 5810 route, rather than assuming EN 13432 covers it.
Bio-based, biodegradable and compostable are three different claims
- Bio-based describes the carbon origin, plant-derived feedstock, and says nothing about end of life.
- Biodegradable is a generic degradation claim with no defined timescale or environment.
- Compostable under EN 13432 is a verified performance claim with a test scheme behind it.
The gap between the three is where greenwashing lives. Oxo-degradable plastics fragment under heat and light but do not meet the biodegradation test, a distinction explained in our biodegradable versus oxo-degradable comparison.
Who certifies, and what a valid certificate covers
Testing is performed by accredited laboratories and certification is issued by bodies such as TUV Austria, which runs the OK compost INDUSTRIAL mark, and DIN CERTCO, which licenses the seedling mark through European Bioplastics. The critical buyer-side check is scope: certificates are issued per product and formulation, so a certificate covering a blank film does not automatically cover the printed, coloured or coated version. Inks, adhesives, barrier coatings and additives all sit inside the tested article, and a change in resin lot, pigment or additive can invalidate the claim. Equivalent schemes elsewhere are ASTM D6400 in the United States and AS 4736 in Australia, all aligned to ISO 17088.
Why the claim matters commercially
European food-service and retail buyers increasingly treat certification as a compliance gate rather than a preference: waste contractors reject uncertified items from composting streams, and the direction of EU packaging regulation is towards verified end-of-life performance. Compostable formats also carry a price premium over conventional resins, set out in our bioplastic cost comparison, so the premium has to be justified by a claim that survives audit.
Checks to run before ordering compostable packaging
- Certificate identity: certificate number, issuing body and validity dates, verified on the body's own register.
- Scope match: the tested article matches your exact product, including print, coating and additives.
- Test basis: EN 13432 with the underlying ISO 14855 and ISO 16929 data, not a supplier self-declaration.
- Disposal instructions: industrial composting stated on pack, with no implication of home or recycling routes.
For the market context behind these claims, our biodegradable film market overview covers demand drivers, and the wider certification library sits under certification guides.
Related product categories
The materials and part types discussed above are grouped in our sourcing directory:
