ISO/DIS 17088

DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ISO/DIS 17088
ISO/TC 61/SC 14 Secretariat: DIN
Voting begins on: Voting terminates on:
2020-02-12 2020-05-06
Plastics — Organic recycling — Specifications for
compostable plastics
Spécifications pour les plastiques compostables
ICS: 83.080.01
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This document is circulated as received from the committee secretariat.
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ISO/DIS 17088:2020(E)
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ISO/DIS 17088:2020(E)
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Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................iv

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................vi

1  Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

2  Normative references ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

3  Terms and definitions ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

4 General ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

5  Basic requirements ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 5

6  Detailed requirements ................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

6.1 General ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

6.2 Disintegration during composting ......................................................................................................................................... 6

6.2.1 Variation in permitted thickness ....................................................................................................................... 6

6.3 Ultimate biodegradation ................................................................................................................................................................. 6

6.4 No adverse effects of compost on terrestrial organisms .................................................................................... 8

6.4.1 General...................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

6.4.2 Ecotoxicity test scheme .............................................................................................................................................. 8

6.4.3 Plant growth test ............................................................................................................................................................. 8

6.4.4 Acute earthworm toxicity test .............................................................................................................................. 9

6.4.5 Chronic earthworm toxicity test......................................................................................................................... 9

6.4.6 Nitrification inhibition test with soil microorganisms ................................................................... 9

6.5 Control of constituents ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9

6.5.1 General...................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

6.5.2 Regulated metals and other elements ........................................................................................................... 9

6.5.3 Per- and poly-fluorinated substances (PFCs) ......................................................................................10

6.5.4 Other hazardous substances ..............................................................................................................................10

6.5.5 Volatile solids ...................................................................................................................................................................10

7  Declaration of results ...................................................................................................................................................................................10

8  Test report ................................................................................................................................................................................................................10

Annex A (informative) Examples of maximum concentrations of regulated metals and other

elements .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................12

Annex B (normative) Maximum concentrations of per- and poly-fluorinated substances and

other hazardous substances ..................................................................................................................................................................13

Annex C (normative) Determination of ecotoxic effects on higher plants .................................................................15

Annex D (normative) Determination of acute ecotoxic effects to earthworm .......................................................17

Annex E (normative) Determination of chronic ecotoxic effects to earthworm ..................................................19

Annex F (normative) Determination of nitrification activity of soil microorganisms ...................................21

Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................23

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described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the

different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the

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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 61, Plastics, Subcommittee SC 14,

This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 17088:2012), which has been technically

— in Clause 3, new terms and definitions have been added: organic recycling, anaerobic digestion, per-

and poly-fluorinated substance, well-managed composting process, industrial composting, organic

— in the subclauses of 6.3, requirements regarding biodegradability of constituents have been revised;

— in 6.3.1.1, Laboratory test methods, additional laboratory test methods for biodegradation testing

— 6.4.2, Ecotoxicity testing scheme has been extended covering ecotoxicity tests with representative

— In 6.5, Control of constituents, new requirements regarding control of constituents with respect to

per- and poly-fluorinated substances (PFCs) and hazardous substances (as specified in Annex B)

— normative Annex B Maximum concentrations of per- and poly-fluorinated substances and other

hazardous substances, Annex C Determination of ecotoxic effects on higher plants, Annex D

Determination of acute ecotoxic effects to earthworm, Annex E Determination of chronic ecotoxic

effects to earthworm and Annex F Determination of nitrification activity of soil microorganisms

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A

Management of solid wastes is a problem of growing interest around the world. Cities, towns and

countries are attempting to divert more materials from disposal (landfills and incineration without

energy recovery) by performing different recovery options in order to transform waste into usable

products. Plastics recovery technologies include material recovery (mechanical recycling, chemical

or feedstock recycling, and biological or organic recycling) and the recovery of energy in the form of

This document can be applied to correctly identify plastics, and products made from plastics, which

can be recovered by organic recycling, i.e. will disintegrate and biodegrade satisfactorily together

with biowaste producing compost as an outcome, in composting or in anaerobic digestion followed by

WARNING — Sewage, activated sludge, soil and compost might contain potentially pathogenic

organisms. Therefore appropriate precautions should be taken when handling them. Toxic

test, compounds and those whose properties are unknown should be handled with care. The

handling of these materials in the context of the application of this International Standard might

This document specifies procedures and requirements for plastics, and products made from plastics,

that are suitable for recovery through organic recycling. The four following aspects are addressed:

These four characteristics are suitable to assess the effects on the industrial composting process and

This specification is intended to be used as the basis for systems of labelling and claims for plastics

This document does not provide information on requirements for the biodegradability of plastics which

end up in the environment as litter. It is also not applicable to biological treatment undertaken in small

NOTE 1 The recovery of compostable plastics through composting can be carried out under the

conditions found in well-managed industrial composting processes, where the temperature, water

content, aerobic conditions, carbon/nitrogen ratio and processing conditions are optimized. Such

conditions are generally obtained in industrial and municipal composting plants. Under these conditions,

compostable plastics will disintegrate and biodegrade at rates comparable to yard trimmings, kraft

NOTE 2 “Organically recoverable”, “compostable”, “compostable in municipal and industrial composting

facilities” or “biodegradable during composting” are expressions considered to be equivalent to

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content

constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For

undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

ISO 14855-1, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled

composting conditions — Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide — Part 1: General method

ISO 14855-2, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled

composting conditions — Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide — Part 2: Gravimetric measurement

ISO 14851, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in an aqueous

ISO 14852, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in an aqueous

ISO 17556, Plastics — Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in soil by

measuring the oxygen demand in a respirometer or the amount of carbon dioxide evolved

ISO 16929, Plastics — Determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic materials under defined

ISO 20200, Plastics — Determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic materials under simulated

ISO 15685, Soil quality — Determination of potential nitrification and inhibition of nitrification — Rapid

ISO 11268-1, Soil quality — Effects of pollutants on earthworms — Part 1: Determination of acute toxicity

ISO 11268-2, Soil quality — Effects of pollutants on earthworms — Part 2: Determination of effects on

ISO 11269-2, Soil quality — Determination of the effects of pollutants on soil flora — Part 2: Effects of

OECD 2006), Test No. 208: Terrestrial Plant Test: Seedling Emergence and Seedling Growth Test, OECD

ISO 12846, Water quality — Determination of mercury — Method using atomic absorption spectrometry

EN 14582, Characterization of waste — Halogen and sulfur content — Oxygen combustion in closed

ISO 17294-2, Water quality — Application of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) —

ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:

organic soil conditioner obtained by biodegradation of a mixture consisting principally of vegetable

residues, occasionally with other organic material and having a limited mineral content

plastic that undergoes degradation by biological processes during composting to yield CO , water,

inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with other known compostable materials and

Note 1 to entry: Composting is classified into industrial composting, home composting and worm composting.

relatively inert solid material added to a plastic to modify its strength, permanence, working properties

aerobic (composting) or anaerobic (digestion) treatment of plastics waste under controlled conditions

using micro-organisms to produce, in the presence of oxygen, stabilized organic residues (compost),

carbon dioxide and water or, in the absence of oxygen, stabilized organic residues (compost), methane

maximum theoretical amount of carbon dioxide evolved after completely oxidizing a chemical

compound, calculated from the molecular formula and expressed as milligrams of carbon dioxide

amount of solids obtained by taking a known volume of test material or compost and drying at about

breakdown of an organic compound by microorganisms in the presence of oxygen into carbon dioxide,

water and mineral salts of any other elements present (mineralization) plus new biomass

amount of solids obtained by subtracting the residue of a known volume of test material or compost

Note 1 to entry: The volatile-solids content is an indication of the amount of organic matter present.

process of controlled decomposition of biodegradable materials under managed conditions where free

oxygen is absent, at temperatures suitable for naturally occurring mesophilic or thermophilic anaerobic

and facultative bacteria species, that convert the inputs to a methane rich biogas and digestate

Note 1 to entry: In a second phase, the digestate is typically stabilised by means of a composting (aerobic) process.

organofluorine substance containing only carbon-fluorine bonds and carbon-carbon bonds but also

composting process performed under controlled conditions where the temperature, water content,

composting process performed under controlled conditions on industrial scale with the aim of

Note 1 to entry: In some regions industrial composting is referred to as professional composting

chemical constituent that contains carbon covalently linked to other carbon atoms and to other

Note 1 to entry: Inorganic carbonates, carbides, cyanides and simple oxides such as carbon monoxide and carbon

Note 2 to entry: Allotropes of carbon, such as diamond, graphite, carbon black, fullerenes, and carbon nanotubes

practise performed by a private individual with the aim of producing compost for his own use

4.1  The purpose of this document is to establish requirements for plastics materials and plastics

products that can be recovered by means of organic recycling in well-managed composting facilities

where the typical conditions of composting can be consistently obtained (i.e. a long thermophilic phase,

aerobic conditions, sufficient water content, a suitable carbon/nitrogen ratio, etc.).

d) the maximum concentration of regulated metals and other elements and per- and poly-fluorinated

In addition, the use of other hazardous substances as specified in Annex B in the test material is

5.1  In order to comply with this document, plastics products and materials shall demonstrate each of

The plastics product or material shall disintegrate during composting as quantified in 6.2.

NOTE Special attention should be given to the visual aspects of compost. Visual contamination of compost

as evidenced by reduction of aesthetic acceptability should not be significantly increased by any post composting

The ultimate level of aerobic biodegradation shall be established by testing under controlled conditions

The composting of plastics products or materials shall have no adverse effects on terrestrial organisms

Ecotoxic effects on terrestrial organisms shall be determined by comparing compost produced with or

The plastics product or material under investigation shall be identified and characterized prior to

— determination of the presence of per- and poly-fluorinated substances (PFCs) (determined as

— evaluation of the presence of other hazardous substances as specified in Annex B;

6.1.1  In order to be identified as compostable, products and materials shall meet the requirements

of 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 and 6.5, using appropriate laboratory tests representative of the conditions found in

6.1.2  Test samples shall not be subjected to conditions or procedures designed to accelerate

6.1.3  If the products or materials under test include fillers, the fillers shall be present when the

products or materials are tested as described in 6.2, 6.3 and 6.4. However, their inorganic carbon content

shall be excluded from the mineralization calculations in 6.3. Products or materials to which fillers are

subsequently added, or in which the filler content is changed, shall be retested to demonstrate that the

new material meets the requirements of 6.2, 6.3 and 6.4. Manufacturers may establish an acceptable

range by testing the highest and the lowest concentrations. Examples of fillers include (but are not

When testing finished articles and products, testing shall be conducted starting with the articles and

products in the same form as they are intended to be used. For products and materials that are made in

several different thicknesses or densities, such as films, containers and foams, only the thickest or most

dense products and materials need to be tested as long as the chemical composition and structure of

NOTE In general, for practical reasons, samples of the plastic material are tested in order to define the

maximum thickness allowing disintegration. Finished articles and products are then manufactured with

A plastics product is considered to have demonstrated satisfactory disintegration if, after 84 days in a

controlled composting test, no more than 10 % of its original dry mass remains after sieving through a

Alternatively, the lab-scale test in accordance with ISO 20200 may be used. The initial test item

concentration shall be 1 % (wet mass) in each of these tests following the procedure given in ISO 16929.

In some cases, specific composting technologies require early sieving and fast disintegration. In this

If disintegration is achieved for the maximum thickness (x) in 12 weeks, it shall be deemed given that

a thickness of x*0.45 will achieve sufficient disintegration within 42 days. Alternative declarative

Only biodegradation tests that provide unequivocal information on the intrinsic and ultimate

biodegradability of the material or its significant organic constituents shall be used. The test under

conditions of controlled aerobic composting (ISO 14855-1, ISO 14855-2) shall be applied preferentially

unless inappropriate to the type and properties of the material under test (e.g. in the case of

printing inks, additives or colorants). In the event that alternative methods are necessary, then the

biodegradation tests according to ISO 14851, ISO 14852 or ISO 17556 (after six months duration) shall