Compostability Test — EN 13432 / ISO 14855 / EN 14995

What Is Compostability?

The compostability test is a study assessing the four requirements of EN 13432 together: material composition and heavy metal limits, biodegradation (via carbon dioxide evolution per ISO 14855), disintegration (pilot-scale composting per ISO 16929), and compost quality with ecotoxicity (plant growth trial). The product is not considered compostable unless all four are met.

Purpose of Compostability

The purpose is to prove the product fully degrades in industrial composting facilities and does not lower the quality of the resulting compost. A compostability claim must be supported by this data.

Which Products Is Compostability Applied To?

Biodegradable bags and sacks
PLA and starch-based packaging
Compostable coffee capsules
Paper and coated paper packaging
Single-use foodservice items

In Which Sectors Is Compostability Used?

PackagingLogisticsRetailPlastics & RubberEnvironmentFood

Standards Related to Compostability

TS EN 13432 (requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation)
TS EN 14995 (plastics — evaluation of compostability)
TS EN ISO 14855-1/-2 (aerobic biodegradation under controlled composting conditions)
TS EN ISO 16929 (degree of disintegration under pilot-scale composting conditions)
TS EN ISO 20200 (degree of disintegration under laboratory-scale composting conditions)
ISTApackaging transport performance test series test

Compostability Conditions

Biodegradation: Under the controlled composting conditions defined in ISO 14855, by monitoring carbon dioxide evolution
Disintegration: ISO 16929 pilot-scale composting; the residue retained on a sieve is measured
Heavy metals: Limits defined in EN 13432
Ecotoxicity: A plant growth trial on the resulting compost

Equipment for Compostability

Respirometric biodegradation system
Pilot-scale composting reactors
ICP-MS (heavy metal analysis)
Plant growth trial facilities
Sieve sets and ovens

Sample Requirements for Compostability

The final product and all its components (including label, ink, adhesive)
Material composition and additive list must be provided
Thickness must be provided — disintegration depends directly on thickness
Sufficient specimen quantity; tests are run in parallel

Duration of Compostability

This is among the longest-running laboratory studies: the biodegradation test can run up to the maximum period defined in the standard, and the pilot-scale disintegration trial adds to this. The schedule is given together with the test list at the quotation stage.

Compostability Procedure

1Material composition is examined and heavy metal analysis is performed.
2The specimen is characterised (organic carbon, dry matter).
3The biodegradation test is started under controlled composting conditions.
4The carbon dioxide evolved is continuously measured to calculate the percentage biodegraded.
5A disintegration trial is carried out under pilot-scale composting.
6An ecotoxicity (plant growth) trial is carried out on the resulting compost.

Compostability Acceptance Criteria

EN 13432 defines requirements for all four headings: material composition and heavy metal limits, the percentage biodegradation to be reached within the defined period, the maximum residue permitted on the sieve after disintegration, and that the compost does not adversely affect plant growth. Current thresholds are confirmed from the standard's latest edition.

Evaluation of Results

A compostability claim can only be established once all four requirements are met. The result also applies to INDUSTRIAL composting conditions; degradation in home compost, garden or marine environments requires separate standards and separate tests. Because increasing thickness directly affects disintegration, the result is limited to the thickness tested.

Compostability Report

Product identification, composition and thickness
Heavy metal analysis results
Biodegradation curve and percentage reached
Disintegration trial results
Ecotoxicity trial results
Comparison against EN 13432 requirements

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

(EU) 2025/40 Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation
(EU) 2019/904 Single-Use Plastics Directive

Ambalaj Testleri — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Compostability test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Packaging testing examines two different functions separately: does the packaging protect the product during transport, and does the packaging material transfer harmful substances into its contents? These two questions require different laboratory infrastructure and must not be confused.

On the protection side, distribution simulation is carried out: drop, vibration, compression, stacking and, where needed, low pressure tests are applied in sequences representing the real shipping chain. These tests are meaningful as a SEQUENCE rather than individually; in real life too, packaging is exposed to successive loads and each load builds on the damage left by the previous one. Specifications such as ISTA and ASTM D4169 define these sequences by shipment type.

The shipment type determines the sequence itself. The exposure of a palletised load differs from that of a parcel shipped individually: the latter sees far more handling, more drops and impacts in a wider variety of orientations. The growth of e-commerce has brought this second scenario to the fore and turned parcel shipping simulation into a specification group of its own.

On the food contact side, MIGRATION is what counts: the amount of substance passing from the packaging material into the food is compared against overall and specific migration limits. For plastic packaging the list of permitted substances and the limits are defined in separate legislation; the declaration of conformity (DoC) rests on this assessment and is a document that every link in the supply chain must carry.

In a migration test the choice of SIMULANT is critical. Because testing with real food is not practical, liquids representing food are used: different simulants for aqueous foods, for fatty foods and for acidic foods. Choosing the wrong simulant invalidates the result; the choice depends on which food type the packaging will contact and at what temperature.

Barrier properties are a third axis. Oxygen and water vapour permeability directly determine the shelf life of the product; in pharmaceutical and food packaging these values are a design input. Barrier performance is sensitive to temperature and relative humidity, so the measurement conditions are part of the report.

Sterile medical device packaging is the most tightly regulated sub-body of this family. Here the packaging is a barrier maintaining sterility; seal strength, leak testing, distribution simulation and shelf-life studies run together as a validation package.

The packaging legislation side is becoming rapidly more demanding. Recyclability, recovered content ratio, packaging reduction and reuse targets must now be measurable and declarable; this turns packaging design from a material selection exercise into a conformity exercise.

Method groups in this field

Distribution simulation
Drop, random and fixed frequency vibration, compression, stacking, low pressure; as ISTA and ASTM D4169 sequences.
Mechanical strength
Edge crush (ECT) in corrugated board, bursting strength, box compression strength, tape peel adhesion.
Barrier measurements
Oxygen transmission rate (OTR), water vapour transmission rate (WVTR), permeability in film and sheet materials.
Migration
Overall and specific migration tests; simulant and temperature conditions are chosen according to the use scenario.
Seal and integrity
Seal peel strength, leak detection by dye penetration, bubble test, headspace analysis.
Shelf life
Real-time and accelerated ageing; part of the validation package in sterile packaging.

Commonly confused in this field

A single drop test is not a distribution simulation; the tests are applied as the sequence defined in the specification.
A migration test carried out with the wrong simulant or the wrong contact temperature is invalid.
Accelerated ageing does not replace real-time ageing; a shelf life claim is supported by real-time data.
Barrier values are valid together with the measurement temperature and relative humidity; an OTR/WVTR value given without conditions cannot be compared.
A packaging change (film supplier, seal parameter, box design) may require the validation to be repeated.
A food contact declaration of conformity is not a test report; it is a document that rests on reports but summarises a broader assessment.

Which decisions these results support

Reducing shipping damage and verifying the packaging design
Declaration of conformity for food contact packaging
Supporting the shelf-life claim
Validation of sterile device packaging
Recyclability and content declarations under packaging legislation

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Compostability

Are biodegradable and compostable the same thing?

No. Biodegradable means the material can be broken down by micro-organisms, and the term carries little meaning without stating a time frame. Compostable means meeting a defined time, condition and compost-quality requirement together. The latter is required for a commercial claim.

Is an industrial compost result valid for home composting?

No. Industrial composting operates at high temperature under controlled conditions; home composting is at lower temperature and degradation is much slower. A home-compostable claim requires a separate test programme.

Are the label and ink also included in the test?

Yes. EN 13432 assesses the final product as a whole; a non-compostable label or an ink containing heavy metals can render the whole product non-compliant.