SIST EN ISO 22403:2022

Plastics - Assessment of the intrinsic biodegradability of materials exposed to marine inocula under mesophilic aerobic laboratory conditions - Test methods and requirements (ISO 22403:2020)

This document specifies test methods and criteria for showing intrinsic biodegradability in marine environments of virgin plastic materials and polymers without any preliminary environmental exposure or pre-treatment.
Test methods applied in this document are carried out at temperatures in the mesophilic range under aerobic conditions and are aimed to show ultimate biodegradability, i.e. conversion into carbon dioxide, water and biomass.
This document neither assesses the constituents, such as regulated metals or substances hazardous to the environment, nor potential ecotoxic effects but intrinsic biodegradability only. These aspects will be considered in a separate standard covering the overall environmental impact of products intentionally or accidentally released in the marine environment.
This document does not cover the performance of products made from biodegradable plastic materials and biodegradable polymers. Lifetime and biodegradation rates in the sea of products made with biodegradable plastic materials are generally affected by the specific environmental conditions and by thickness and shape.
Although results might indicate that the tested plastic materials and polymers biodegrade under the specified test conditions at a certain rate, the results of any laboratory exposure cannot be directly extrapolated to marine environments at the actual site of use or leakage.
This document is not applicable for "marine biodegradable" claims of biodegradable plastic materials. For such purpose, see relevant product standards, if available.
The testing scheme specified in this document does not provide sufficient information for determining the specific biodegradation rate (i.e. the rate per available surface area) of the material under testing. For such purpose, see relevant standards about specific biodegradation rate, if available.

Kunststoffe - Bewertung der intrinsischen biologischen Abbaubarkeit von Materialien, die marinen Inokula unter mesophilen aeroben Laborbedingungen ausgesetzt sind - Prüfverfahren und Anforderungen (ISO 22403:2020)

Dieses Dokument legt Prüfverfahren und Kriterien für den Nachweis der intrinsischen Bioabbaubarkeit in Meeresumgebungen von Kunststoff-Neumaterialien und Polymeren ohne vorherige Umweltexposition oder Vorbehandlung fest.
Die in diesem Dokument angewendeten Prüfverfahren werden bei Temperaturen im mesophilen Bereich unter aeroben Bedingungen durchgeführt und dienen dazu, die vollständige biologische Abbaubarkeit, d. h. die Umwandlung in Kohlenstoffdioxid, Wasser und Biomasse, nachzuweisen.
Dieses Dokument beurteilt weder die Bestandteile wie regulierte Metalle oder umweltgefährdende Stoffe noch potentielle ökotoxische Einflüsse, sondern nur die intrinsische Bioabbaubarkeit. Diese Aspekte werden in einer separaten Norm behandelt, die die Gesamtumweltauswirkung von absichtlich oder versehentlich in die Meeresumgebung abgegebenen Produkten abdeckt.
Dieses Dokument behandelt nicht das Verhalten von Produkten aus bioabbaubaren Kunststoffmaterialien und bioabbaubaren Polymeren. Die Lebensdauer und Bioabbauraten im Meer von mit bioabbaubaren Kunststoffmaterialien hergestellten Produkten wird im Allgemeinen durch die spezifischen Umgebungsbedingungen sowie die Dicke und Form beeinflusst.
Auch wenn Ergebnisse darauf hindeuten könnten, dass der Bioabbau von Kunststoffmaterialien und Polymeren unter den festgelegten Prüfbedingungen mit einer bestimmten Geschwindigkeit stattfindet, können die Ergebnisse einer Laborexposition nicht direkt auf die Meeresumgebung am tatsächlichen Nutzungs- oder Leckageort extrapoliert werden.
Dieses Dokument ist nicht für die Behauptung „bioabbaubar im Meer“ von bioabbaubaren Kunststoffmaterialien anzuwenden. Für diese Zwecke sind die relevanten Produktnormen zu beachten, sofern verfügbar.
Die in diesem Dokument festgelegten Prüfschemata liefern keine ausreichenden Informationen zur Bestimmung der spezifischen Bioabbaurate (d. h. der Rate je verfügbarer Oberfläche) des geprüften Materials. Für solche Zwecke wird auf die relevanten Normen zur spezifischen Bioabbaurate verwiesen, sofern verfügbar.

Plastiques - Évaluation de la biodégradabilité aérobie inhérente et de la sécurité environnementale des matériaux non flottants exposés à des inocula marins dans des conditions de laboratoire et mésophiles - Méthodes d'essai et exigences (ISO 22403:2020)

Le présent document spécifie des méthodes d’essai et des critères permettant de démontrer la biodégradabilité intrinsèque en environnements marins des matériaux plastiques vierges et des polymères sans exposition environnementale préliminaire ni prétraitement.
Les méthodes d’essai appliquées dans le présent document sont réalisées à des températures situées dans la gamme mésophile dans des conditions aérobies et visent à démontrer la biodégradabilité ultime, c’est-à-dire la conversion en dioxyde de carbone, en eau et en biomasse.
Le présent document ne sert à évaluer ni les constituants, tels que les métaux réglementés ou les substances dangereuses dans l’environnement, ni les effets écotoxiques potentiels, mais uniquement la biodégradabilité intrinsèque. Ces aspects seront traités dans une norme séparée couvrant l’impact environnemental global des produits libérés intentionnellement ou accidentellement dans l’environnement marin.
Le présent document ne traite pas de la performance des produits en matériaux plastiques biodégradables et des polymères biodégradables. La durée de vie et les vitesses de biodégradation en mer des produits en matériaux plastiques biodégradables sont généralement influencées par les conditions environnementales spécifiques et par l’épaisseur et la forme des produits.
Bien que les résultats puissent indiquer que les matériaux plastiques et les polymères soumis à l’essai se biodégradent à une certaine vitesse dans les conditions d’essai spécifiées, il n’est pas possible d’extrapoler directement les résultats d’une exposition en laboratoire aux environnements marins sur le site réel d’utilisation ou de fuite.
Le présent document n’est pas applicable aux assertions «biodégradable en milieu marin» associées aux matériaux plastiques biodégradables. Pour cela, se reporter aux normes de produits pertinentes, si elles sont disponibles.
Le programme d’essai spécifié dans le présent document ne fournit pas suffisamment d’informations pour déterminer la vitesse de biodégradation spécifique (c’est-à-dire la vitesse par surface disponible) du matériau soumis à l’essai. Pour cela, se reporter aux normes pertinentes concernant la vitesse de biodégradation spécifique, si elles sont disponibles.

Polimerni materiali - Ocenjevanje lastne biorazgradljivosti materialov, izpostavljenih morskemu inokulumu (kužilom) v mezofilnih aerobnih laboratorijskih pogojih - Preskusne metode in zahteve (ISO 22403:2020)

Ta dokument določa preskusne metode in merila za dokazovanje lastne biorazgradljivosti primarnih polimernih materialov in polimerov v morskem okolju brez predhodne okoljske izpostavljenosti ali predobdelave.
Preskusne metode, uporabljene v tem dokumentu, se izvajajo pri temperaturah v mezofilnem območju pod aerobnimi pogoji in so namenjene dokazovanju končne biorazgradljivosti, tj. pretvorbe v ogljikov dioksid, vodo in biomaso.
Ta dokument ne ocenjuje sestavin, kot so s predpisi urejene kovine ali snovi, nevarne za okolje, niti potencialnih ekotoksičnih učinkov, temveč zgolj lastno biorazgradljivost. Ti vidiki bodo obravnavani v ločenem standardu, ki zajema celoten vpliv izdelkov na okolje ob namernem ali nenamernem izpustu v morsko okolje.
Ta dokument ne zajema lastnosti izdelkov iz biorazgradljivih polimernih materialov in biorazgradljivih polimerov. Na življenjsko dobo in hitrost biorazgradnje izdelkov iz biorazgradljivih polimernih materialov v morju na splošno vplivajo posebni okoljski pogoji ter debelina in oblika izdelka.
Čeprav lahko rezultati kažejo, da se preskušeni polimerni materiali in polimeri biološko razgradijo v določenih preskusnih pogojih z določeno hitrostjo, rezultatov kakršne koli izpostavitve v laboratoriju ni mogoče neposredno ekstrapolirati na morsko okolje na dejanskem mestu uporabe ali izpusta.
Ta dokument se ne uporablja za trditve o »biorazgradljivosti v morju« za biorazgradljive umetne snovi. V ta namen glej ustrezne standarde za izdelke, če so na voljo.
Shema za preskušanje, podana v tem dokumentu, ne zagotavlja zadostnih podatkov za ugotavljanje določene hitrosti biorazgradnje (tj. hitrost na razpoložljivo površino) materiala, ki se preskuša. V ta namen glej ustrezne standarde o določeni hitrosti biorazgradnje, če so na voljo.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 06-Oct-2021
• Publication Date: 23-Nov-2021
• ICS: 13.020.40 - Pollution, pollution control and conservation
• ICS: 83.080.01 - Plastics in general
• Technical Committee: IPMA - Polimer materials and products
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 17-Nov-2021
• Due Date: 22-Jan-2022
• Completion Date: 24-Nov-2021
• Ref Project: EN ISO 22403:2021 - Plastics - Assessment of the intrinsic biodegradability of materials exposed to marine inocula under mesophilic aerobic laboratory conditions - Test methods and requirements (ISO 22403:2020)

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST EN ISO 22403:2022
01-januar-2022
Polimerni materiali - Ocenjevanje lastne biorazgradljivosti materialov,
izpostavljenih morskemu inokulumu (kužilom) v mezofilnih aerobnih
laboratorijskih pogojih - Preskusne metode in zahteve (ISO 22403:2020)
Plastics - Assessment of the intrinsic biodegradability of materials exposed to marine
inocula under mesophilic aerobic laboratory conditions - Test methods and requirements
(ISO 22403:2020)
Kunststoffe - Bewertung der intrinsischen biologischen Abbaubarkeit von Materialien, die
marinen Inokula unter mesophilen aeroben Laborbedingungen ausgesetzt sind -
Prüfverfahren und Anforderungen (ISO 22403:2020)
Plastiques - Évaluation de la biodégradabilité aérobie inhérente et de la sécurité
environnementale des matériaux non flottants exposés à des inocula marins dans des
conditions de laboratoire et mésophiles - Méthodes d'essai et exigences (ISO
22403:2020)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 22403:2021
ICS:
13.020.40 Onesnaževanje, nadzor nad Pollution, pollution control
onesnaževanjem in and conservation
ohranjanje
83.080.01 Polimerni materiali na Plastics in general
splošno
SIST EN ISO 22403:2022 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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SIST EN ISO 22403:2022

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SIST EN ISO 22403:2022


EN ISO 22403
EUROPEAN STANDARD

NORME EUROPÉENNE

November 2021
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 13.020.40; 83.080.01
English Version

Plastics - Assessment of the intrinsic biodegradability of
materials exposed to marine inocula under mesophilic
aerobic laboratory conditions - Test methods and
requirements (ISO 22403:2020)
Plastiques - Évaluation de la biodégradabilité aérobie Kunststoffe - Bewertung der intrinsischen biologischen
inhérente et de la sécurité environnementale des Abbaubarkeit von Materialien, die marinen Inokula
matériaux non flottants exposés à des inocula marins unter mesophilen aeroben Laborbedingungen
dans des conditions de laboratoire et mésophiles - ausgesetzt sind - Prüfverfahren und Anforderungen
Méthodes d'essai et exigences (ISO 22403:2020) (ISO 22403:2020)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 8 November 2021.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
United Kingdom.





EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2021 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 22403:2021 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

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SIST EN ISO 22403:2022
EN ISO 22403:2021 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 3

2

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SIST EN ISO 22403:2022
EN ISO 22403:2021 (E)
European foreword
The text of ISO 22403:2020 has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 61 "Plastics” of the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and has been taken over as EN ISO 22403:2021 by
Technical Committee CEN/TC 249 “Plastics” the secretariat of which is held by NBN.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by May 2022, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by May 2022.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the
United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 22403:2020 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 22403:2021 without any modification.


3

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SIST EN ISO 22403:2022

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SIST EN ISO 22403:2022
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 22403
First edition
2020-04
Plastics — Assessment of the intrinsic
biodegradability of materials exposed
to marine inocula under mesophilic
aerobic laboratory conditions — Test
methods and requirements
Plastiques — Évaluation de la biodégradabilité aérobie inhérente et
de la sécurité environnementale des matériaux non flottants exposés
à des inocula marins dans des conditions de laboratoire et mésophiles
— Méthodes d'essai et exigences
Reference number
ISO 22403:2020(E)
©
ISO 2020

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SIST EN ISO 22403:2022
ISO 22403:2020(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2020
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address
below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 22403:2022
ISO 22403:2020(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 2
4 Requirements . 2
4.1 Test material . 2
4.2 Reference material . 2
4.3 Negative control . 2
4.4 Biodegradation test methods . 3
4.5 Requirements . 3
5 Test report . 4
Bibliography . 5
© ISO 2020 – All rights reserved iii

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SIST EN ISO 22403:2022
ISO 22403:2020(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
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
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www .iso .org/
iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 61, Plastics, Subcommittee SC 14,
Environmental aspects.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

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SIST EN ISO 22403:2022
ISO 22403:2020(E)

Introduction
Biodegradation (i.e. biodegradation level and biodegradation rate) of a plastic product in any given
environment is basically the result of three conditions:
a) the intrinsic (i.e. potential) biodegradability of the material;
b) the available surface and the shape of the product;
c) the environmental conditions where the product is located.
A material’s intrinsic biodegradability provides that its chemical structure is susceptible to enzymatic
attack so that enzymes can cleave its chemical bonds. Under aerobic conditions (in the presence of O )
2
the ultimate biodegradation of a material only leads to the formation of CO , H O, mineral
...

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021
01-oktober-2021
Polimerni materiali - Ocenjevanje lastne biorazgradljivosti materialov,
izpostavljenih morskemu inokulumu (kužilom) v mezofilnih aerobnih
laboratorijskih pogojih - Preskusne metode in zahteve (ISO 22403:2020)
Plastics - Assessment of the intrinsic biodegradability of materials exposed to marine
inocula under mesophilic aerobic laboratory conditions - Test methods and requirements
(ISO 22403:2020)
Kunststoffe - Bewertung der intrinsischen biologischen Abbaubarkeit von Materialien, die
marinen Inokula unter mesophilen aeroben Laborbedingungen ausgesetzt sind -
Prüfverfahren und Anforderungen (ISO 22403:2020)
Plastiques - Évaluation de la biodégradabilité aérobie inhérente et de la sécurité
environnementale des matériaux non flottants exposés à des inocula marins dans des
conditions de laboratoire et mésophiles - Méthodes d'essai et exigences (ISO
22403:2020)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN ISO 22403
ICS:
13.020.40 Onesnaževanje, nadzor nad Pollution, pollution control
onesnaževanjem in and conservation
ohranjanje
83.080.01 Polimerni materiali na Plastics in general
splošno
oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 22403
First edition
2020-04
Plastics — Assessment of the intrinsic
biodegradability of materials exposed
to marine inocula under mesophilic
aerobic laboratory conditions — Test
methods and requirements
Plastiques — Évaluation de la biodégradabilité aérobie inhérente et
de la sécurité environnementale des matériaux non flottants exposés
à des inocula marins dans des conditions de laboratoire et mésophiles
— Méthodes d'essai et exigences
Reference number
ISO 22403:2020(E)
©
ISO 2020

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021
ISO 22403:2020(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2020
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address
below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021
ISO 22403:2020(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 2
4 Requirements . 2
4.1 Test material . 2
4.2 Reference material . 2
4.3 Negative control . 2
4.4 Biodegradation test methods . 3
4.5 Requirements . 3
5 Test report . 4
Bibliography . 5
© ISO 2020 – All rights reserved iii

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oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021
ISO 22403:2020(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
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
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www .iso .org/
iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 61, Plastics, Subcommittee SC 14,
Environmental aspects.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021
ISO 22403:2020(E)

Introduction
Biodegradation (i.e. biodegradation level and biodegradation rate) of a plastic product in any given
environment is basically the result of three conditions:
a) the intrinsic (i.e. potential) biodegradability of the material;
b) the available surface and the shape of the product;
c) the environmental conditions where the product is located.
A material’s intrinsic biodegradability provides that its chemical structure is susceptible to enzymatic
attack so that enzymes can cleave its chemical bonds. Under aerobic conditions (in the presence of O )
2
the ultimate biodegradation of a material only leads to the formation of CO , H O, mineral salts and
2 2
biomass.
Biodegradation of plastic materials is generally a bio-erosion process happening at the interface
between the solid phase and the liquid phase where microbes live. It is a heterogeneous reaction. It is
the surface rather than the concentration that controls the biodegradation rate. Thus, the higher the
available surface the higher the biodegradation rate.
Environmental conditions determine the biodegradation rate as well. Temperature, nutrient availability,
pH and the existing microbial population affect the biodegradation rate. Biodegradation can be slowed
or even stopped if environmental conditions are not favourable, even if the material is intrinsically and
ultimately biodegradable.
This document covers condition a) mentioned above.
The fate of plastics in the environment is considered important information. The contamination of
seas with plastic waste is a relevant problem that should be controlled not least by means of leakage
prevention measures such as mandatory collection of plastic items used in marine environments and
environmental education. However, in some cases, the dispersal of plastic (waste) is almost unavoidable.
For example, plastics are used to make fishing gears and products for fish, mussels, and oysters farming
which are prone to be left or lost in the sea. In these cases, the possibility of using products made with
biodegradable plastics might be contributing to reducing the risk linked with the dispersion of solid
waste. In order to carry out a proper product design and in order to assess impact and risk of leakage, it
is important to know whether a plastic material is intrinsically biodegradable when exposed to marine
inocula.
© ISO 2020 – All rights reserved v

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oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021

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oSIST prEN ISO 22403:2021
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 22403:2020(E)
Plastics — Assessment of the intrinsic biodegradability
of materials exposed to marine inocula under mesophilic
aerobic laboratory conditions — Test methods and
requirements
1 Scope
This document specifies test methods and criteria for
...