Bio Based Grades Priced against the Composting Route They Need
Matching resin melt stability and wall thickness to regional waste facility residence times prevents unexpected landed part cost escalation.
NF T 51-800
Meaning
Standardized technical specifications published by the French standardization body define test methods and acceptance criteria for plastics suitable for home composting. Within sustainable packaging specification and biopolymer compliance, NF T 51-800 regulates material disintegration, ultimate biodegradation and ecotoxicity under low temperature composting conditions. The standard mandates testing at ambient temperatures between twenty and thirty degrees Celsius over extended duration periods.
Limits apply strictly to home composting environments and do not validate marine or soil biodegradation performance.
Compostability Threshold
Material conversion to carbon dioxide must reach at least ninety percent relative to a natural reference substance like cellulose. Testing duration extends up to twelve months due to slower microbial activity at ambient temperatures compared to industrial composting conditions. Chemical analysis restricts heavy metal concentrations and fluorine content to protect finished compost quality.
Ecotoxicity Testing
Plant growth assays evaluate the biological safety of compost generated from tested packaging materials. Dual plant species germination tests compare seedling emergence and biomass growth against control soil samples.
Disintegration Measurement
Physical breakdown requires ninety percent of the initial plastic mass to pass through a two millimeter sieve after one hundred and eighty days. Sample thickness dictates testing duration, as thicker structural walls slow down physical fragmentation.