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The Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels help federal purchasers identify and procure environmentally preferable products and services. In addition, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 23.1 directs the federal government to purchase products and services that meet EPA purchasing programs to the “maximum extent practicable." The definition of sustainable products and services in FAR Clause 52.223-23, Sustainable Products and Services includes EPA Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels in effect as of October . Federal purchasers may use the filter provided below to identify the Recommendations effective as of October . Purchasers may also view standards and ecolabels added after this date. 

The Recommendations leverage private sector approaches to defining and measuring sustainability by including more than 60 private sector standards/ecolabels in more than 40 purchase categories. The Recommendations give preference to multi-attribute/life-cycle based standards/ecolabels that address key impact areas (also known as hotspots) and where a competent third-party certification program can verify product conformance.

• Read about the expansion of the Recommendations announced December 5, . 
• View the list of changes to the Recommendations, -Present.
• Learn about EPA and GSA Acting to Cut PFAS in Government Purchasing for Cleaning Products
• Webinar Recording: Using Ecolabels to Enable Impactful Sustainable Procurement
• Learn about revisions to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) which includes new requirements to procure products and services meeting the Recommendations.

The Recommendations are organized in the table below to help users identify standards/ecolabels by product category and explore how key environmental hotspots like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and plastics are addressed. Enter specific keywords in the Search box, choose a product category or select a hotspot to get started. To start a new search, click "Reset" or refresh the page. Additional information for each standard/ecolabel is available by clicking the blue info icon. Other information to explore includes:

Reminder: before buying new, browse GSAXcess to find surplus and/or lightly used items.

The ABA has launched the ‘seedling logo’ certification system throughout Australia and New Zealand. The seedling logo is used to clearly identify certified compostable packaging materials. To be certified compostable and carry the seedling logo, suitable biopolymer materials must undergo a stringent test regime as outlined by AS.

Upon making an approved application to the ABA, we will refer you to our independent auditor who will determine what (if any) testing is required and refer you to accredited laboratories if needed. If successful then an invitation is sent by ABA to license the seedling by payment of nominal fee and signing a license agreement. Successful applicants will then be licensed to use the logo along with their unique certification number.

Use of the seedling logo is available for use by both packaging material producers and their customers. The seedling logo can be printed on the finished product (eg. films, injection mouldings and bags) to market the product’s compliance to AS. Use of the seedling logo will ultimately help the end consumer, customers and/or municipal authorities to recognise compostable packaging and dispose of it accordingly. Importantly, the seedling logo will communicate the authenticity and independent verification of claims of compliance to AS‐.

• “Bio-based claims” should be backed up by sound measurements based on approved standards and ideally third-party certification. They can be made by indicating either the bio based mass content or the bio-based carbon content as a percentage of the total carbon content or the material balance of a material/product.
• If Commercial Compostability is claimed for a product, certification (by an independent third party) according to Australian Standard AS ‐ or equivalent standards should be acquired.
• If Home Compostability is claimed for a product, certification (by an independent third party) according to Australian Standard AS - or equivalent standards should be acquired.

The voluntary Australian Standard (AS) –, Biodegradable plastics—Biodegradable plastics suitable for  commercial composting and other microbial treatment has stringent requirements for the time frame in which a product must break down in a commercial composting environment, its toxicity and the amount of organic material it contains. Products that meet Australian Standard (AS) – are easily recognised by having the ‘seedling logo’ printed on them.

The Home Compostable Verification logo is a symbol that the product’s claims of biodegradability and compostability as per AS - has been verified. To be certified compostable and carry the Home Compostable Verification logo, suitable biopolymer materials must undergo a stringent test regime outlined by AS - and carried out by recognised independent accredited laboratories to the Australian Standard AS -.

Various voluntary standards and tests for biodegradability exist in overseas jurisdictions, along with an emerging view of best practice in this area, and referring to these may help consumers and businesses to assess claims. See, for example, AS/NZS ISO :, Environmental labels and declarations—Self declared environmental claims, and European (EN ) and American (ASTM ) biodegradability standards.

These standards have different tests and requirements; however, if you claim your product complies with a certain standard, it must actually adhere to that standard no matter where it was developed. If your product does not meet that standard’s requirements or has not been accredited as claimed, you risk breaching the Trade Practices Act.

Environmental claims of bioplastics products need to verified by internationally reputable third party laboratories and certification agencies.

Industrial composting is an established process with commonly agreed requirements concerning temperature and timeframe for biodegradable waste to metabolise to stable, sanitised products (biomass) to be used in agriculture (humus/fertiliser). This process takes place in industrial or municipal composting plants. These plants provide controlled conditions, i.e. controlled temperatures, humidity, aeration, etc. for a quick and safe composting process.

The criteria for the Industrial Compostability of packaging are set out in the Australasian Standard for Industrial Compostability AS. AS requires the compostable plastics to disintegrate after 12 weeks and completely biodegrade after six months. That means that 90 percent or more of the plastic material will have been converted to CO2. The remaining share is converted into water and biomass – i.e. valuable compost. Materials and products complying with this standard can be certified and labelled accordingly.

There is currently no international standard specifying the conditions for home composting of biodegradable plastics. However, there are several national standards, such as the Australian Standard for Home Compostability AS- “Biodegradable plastics – biodegradable plastics suitable for home composting”. Belgian certifier Vinçotte had developed the OK compost home certification scheme, requiring at least 90% degradation in 12 months at ambient temperature. Based on this scheme, the French standard NF T 51-800 “Plastics — Specifications for plastics suitable for home composting” was developed, specifying the very same requirements for certification.

Commercial composting is an established process with commonly agreed requirements concerning temperature and timeframe for biodegradable waste to metabolise to stable, sanitised products (biomass) to be used in agriculture (humus/fertiliser). This process takes place in commercial or municipal composting plants. These plants provide controlled conditions, i.e. controlled temperatures, humidity, aeration, etc. for a quick and safe composting process.

The criteria for the Commercial Compostability of packaging are set out in the Australian Standard AS and Home Compostability AS-. AS and AS- requires the compostable plastics to disintegrate after 12 weeks and completely biodegrade after six months. That means that 90 percent or more of the plastic material will have been converted to CO2. The remaining share is converted into water and biomass – i.e. valuable compost. Materials and products complying with this standard can be certified and labelled accordingly.

There is currently no international standard specifying the conditions for home composting of biodegradable plastics. However, there are several national standards, such as the Australian norm AS “Biodegradable plastics – biodegradable plastics suitable for home composting”. Belgian certifier Vinçotte had developed the OK compost home certification scheme, requiring at least 90% degradation in 12 months at ambient temperature. Based on this scheme, the French standard NF T 51-800 “Plastics — Specifications for plastics suitable for home composting” was developed, specifying the very same requirements for certification.

A product should always be designed with an efficient and appropriate recovery solution in mind. In the case of biodegradable compostable plastic products, the preferable recovery solution is the separate collection together with the biowaste, organic recycling (e.g. composting in commercial composting plant or anaerobic digestion in AD plants), and hence the production of valuable compost or biogas. The Australasian Bioplastics Association does not support any statements that advertise bioplastics as a solution to the littering problems. Littering refers to careless discarding of waste and is not a legitimate means of disposal.

Biodegradable compostable plastics are often regarded as a possible solution to this problem as they can be decomposed by microorganisms without producing harmful or noxious residue during decomposition. However, the process of biodegradation is dependent on certain environmental conditions (i.e. temperature, presence of microorganisms, timeframe, etc.). Products suitable for commercial composting (as defined according to the Australasian standard for commercial compostability AS) are fit for the conditions in a composting plant, but not necessary for those outside in nature.

Littering should never be promoted for any kind of material or waste. It is imperative for the consumer to continue to be conscious of the fact that no matter what type of packaging or waste, it must be subject to appropriate disposal and recovery processes.

Marine litter is one of the main threats to the environment. The largest share of marine litter consists of plastics that originate from a variety of sources, including shipping activities, ineffectively managed landfills, and public littering. In order to minimise and ultimately prevent further pollution of the marine environment an increase in the efficiency of waste management around the globe are crucial. Moreover, the introduction of a ban on landfilling for plastic products and appropriate measures to expand recycling and recovery of plastic waste are necessary.

In areas where separate biowaste (food and garden waste) collection exists, compostable biowaste bags can help divert biowaste – including the bags in which it is collected – from landfills, thereby reducing the amount of plastic bags entering into the marine environment in the first place. Yet, biodegradable plastics should not be considered a solution to the problem of marine litter. Littering should never be promoted or accepted for any kind of waste, neither on land nor at sea – including all varieties of plastics. Instead, the issue needs to be addressed by educative and informative measures to raise awareness for proper and controlled ways of management, disposal, and recycling.

The UNEP report on ‘bioplastics and marine litter’ () recognises that polymers, which biodegrade on land under favourable conditions, also biodegrade in the marine environment. The report also states, however, that this process is not calculable enough at this point in time, and biodegradable plastics are currently not a solution to marine litter. Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA) agrees with the report’s call for further research and the development of clear standards for biodegradation in the marine environment.

A product should always be designed with an efficient and appropriate recovery solution in mind. In the case of biodegradable plastic products, the preferable recovery solution is the separate collection together with the biowaste, organic recycling (e.g. composting in commercial composting plant or anaerobic digestion in AD plants), and hence the production of valuable compost or biogas. Australasian Bioplastics Association does not support any statements that advertise bioplastics as a solution to the littering problems. Littering refers to careless discarding of waste and is not a legitimate means of disposal.

Biodegradable plastics are often regarded as a possible solution to this problem as they can be decomposed by microorganisms without producing harmful or noxious residue during decomposition. However, the process of biodegradation is dependent on certain environmental conditions (i.e. temperature, presence of microorganisms, timeframe, etc.). Products suitable for commercial composting (as defined according to the Australasian Standard for Commercial Compostability AS) or for home composting (as defined according to the Australian Standard for Home Compostability AS-) are fit for the conditions in a composting, but not necessary for those outside in nature.

Littering should never be promoted for any kind of material or waste. It is imperative for the consumer to continue to be conscious of the fact that no matter what type of packaging or waste, it must be subject to appropriate disposal and recovery processes.

Currently, bioplastics are mostly made of carbohydrate-rich plants such as corn or sugar cane, so called food crops or first generation feedstock. First generation feedstock is currently the most efficient for the production of bioplastics, as it requires the least amount of land to grow and produces the highest yields.

The bioplastics industry is also researching the use of non-food crops (second and third generation feedstock), such as cellulose, with a view to its further use for the production of bioplastics materials. Innovative technologies are focussing on non-edible by-products of the production of food crops, which inevitably generates large amounts of cellulosic by-products such as straw, corn stover or bagasse, which are usually left on the field where they biodegrade at a quantity much higher than is necessary to restore the soil carbon pool. Ideally, they are used to produce energy used for the conversion of feedstock. This leaves significant potential for using biotechnological processes to create platform chemicals for industrial purposes – amongst them the production of bioplastics.

Almost any carbohydrate source can be used to produce bioplastics.

Today, bioplastics are mostly made from carbohydrate-rich plants, such as corn or sugar cane, so called agro-based feedstock or 1st generation feedstock. Currently, 1st generation feedstock is the most efficient feedstock for the production of bioplastics as it requires the least amount of land to grow on and produces the highest yields.

The feedstock currently used for the production of bioplastics relies on only about 0.01 percent of the global agricultural area – compared to 96 percent of the area, which is used for the production of food and feed. Assuming continued growth in the bioplastics market at the current stage of technological development, the share of global agricultural area used to grow feedstock for the production of bioplastics could grow to approximately 0.02 percent in . This clearly demonstrates that there is no competition between food/feed and industrial production.

A recent report by Wageningen Food & Biobased Research (Bio-based and biodegradable plastics – Facts and figures, ) calculates that “even if we would base all present world-wide fossil plastics production on biomass as feedstock instead, the demand for feedstock would be in order of 5 percent of the total amount of biomass produced and harvested each year”. Yet, such scenario is unlikely to happen since the bioplastics industry is also looking into the use of non-food crops (ligno-cellulosic feedstock), such as wood, straw, as well as waste products and side streams of the agro-industry for the production of bioplastics. Using an increased share of food residues, non-food crops or cellulosic biomass could lead to even less land needed for bioplastics than the numbers given above.

Related links:

Renewable Feedstock

Graph: Land use for bioplastics and

Position paper: Feedstock availability

The emerging shift from crude oil towards renewable resources is driven primarily by the sustainable development efforts of the plastics industry. Finite oil resources and climate change constitute two broadly acknowledged challenges for society in the coming decades. Reducing the dependency on oil and mitigating the effects of climate change are therefore two important drivers for the use of renewable resources for the production of plastics. Bio-based plastics have the unique advantage over conventional plastics to reduce the dependency on limited fossil resources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Using biomass that is sustainably sourced and regrows on an annual basis is a major environmental benefit of bio-based plastic products. Plants sequester carbon dioxide during their growth and convert it into carbon-rich organic matter. When these materials are used in the production of bioplastics the carbon is stored within the products during their useful life, which can be prolonged if the products are being recycled. This carbon is eventually released back into the atmosphere through energy recovery or composting. Consequently, bio-based plastics can help the EU to meet its targets of greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

Moreover, bioplastics can make a considerable contribution to increased resource efficiency through a closed resource cycle and use cascades, especially if bio-based materials and products are being either reused or recycled and eventually used for energy recovery (i.e. renewable energy).

The feedstock currently used for the production of bioplastics relies on only about 0.01 percent of the global agricultural area – compared to 96 percent of the area, which is used for the production of food and feed. This clearly demonstrates that there is no competition between food/feed and industrial production.

Of the 13.4 billion hectares of global land surface, around 37 percent (5 billion hectares) is currently used for agriculture. This includes pastures (70 percent, approx. 3.5 billion hectares) and arable land (30 percent, approx. 1.4 billion hectares). This 30 percent of arable land is further divided into areas predominantly used for growing food crops and feed (26 percent, approx. 1.26 billion hectares), as well as crops for materials (2 percent, approx. 106 million hectares, including the 680,000 hectares used for bioplastics)*, and crops for biofuels (1 percent, approx. 53 million hectares).

Moreover, advanced integrated production processes, for example in biorefineries, are already able to produce several different kinds of products out of one specific feedstock – including products for food, feed, and products, such as bioplastics.

Hebei Think-Do Chemicals Co.ltd Product Page

Whilst many current generation bioplastics rely on agricultural feedstock sources, there is a new generation of bioplastics that utilise methane, CO2 and previously unutilised waste streams

*The 2 percent comprise e.g. natural fibres (primarily cotton), rubber, bamboo, plant oils, sugar and starch. Of these 106 million hectares only 400.000 hectares are used to grow feedstock for bioplastics (primarily sugar and starch).

According to the FAO, about one third of the global food production is either wasted or lost every year. The Australasian Bioplastics Association acknowledges that this is a serious problem and strongly supports efforts to reduce food waste.

Other deficiencies that need to be addressed are:

• logistical aspects such as poor distribution/storage of food/feed,
• political instability, and
• lack of financial resources.

When it comes to using biomass, there is no competition between food or feed and bioplastics. The land currently needed to grow the feedstock for the production of bioplastics amounts to only about 0.01 percent of the global agricultural area – compared to 96 percent of the area that is used for the production of food and feed.

Agro-based feedstock – plants that are rich in carbohydrates, such as corn or sugar cane, is currently the most efficient and resilient feedstock available for the production of bioplastics. Other solutions, such as non-food crops or waste from food crops that are providing ligno-cellulosic feedstock, will be available in the medium and long term.

There is no well-founded argument against a responsible and monitored (i.e. sustainable) use of food crops for bioplastics. There is even evidence that the industrial and material use of biomass may in fact serve as a stabilizer for food prices, providing farmers with more secure markets and thereby leading to more sustainable production. Independent third party certification schemes can help to take social, environmental and economic criteria into account and to ensure that bioplastics are a purely beneficial innovation.

The feedstock currently used for the production of bioplastics relies on only about 0.01 percent of the global agricultural area – compared to 96 percent of the area, which is used for the production of food and feed. This clearly demonstrates that there is no competition between food/feed and industrial production.

Of the 13.4 billion hectares of global land surface, around 37 percent (5 billion hectares) is currently used for agriculture. This includes pastures (70 percent, approx. 3.5 billion hectares) and arable land (30 percent, approx. 1.4 billion hectares). This 30 percent of arable land is further divided into areas predominantly used for growing food crops and feed (26 percent, approx. 1.26 billion hectares), as well as crops for materials (2 percent, approx. 106 million hectares, including the 680,000 hectares used for bioplastics)*, and crops for biofuels (1 percent, approx. 53 million hectares).

Moreover, advanced integrated production processes, for example in biorefineries, are already able to produce several different kinds of products out of one specific feedstock – including products for food, feed, and products, such as bioplastics.

*The 2 percent comprise e.g. natural fibres (primarily cotton), rubber, bamboo, plant oils, sugar and starch. Of these 106 million hectares only 400.000 hectares are used to grow feedstock for bioplastics (primarily sugar and starch).

Bio-based plastics have the unique advantage to reduce the dependency on fossil resources, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and increase resource efficiency. What is more, bioplastics are an essential part of the bioeconomy. Although, compared to conventional plastics, the production of bioplastics is still small (about 1-2 percent of the entire global plastics production), the potentials for growth and further innovation and development are enormous. These yet untapped potentials of the bioplastics industry and the positive environmental, and socio-economic effects need to be considered when assessing the environmental impact of bioplastics – especially when compared to established conventional plastics. Currently, there are two meaningful indicators that sustainability assessments of bioplastics should focus on, as they rely on common methodologies and standards:

• biobased/renewable content (AS, AS, EN , EN -1 /-2, ASTM )
• reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (ISO/TS , GHG Protocol, PAS).

Life cycle assessments (LCAs) are an important tool for substantiating environmental claims (ISO and ) as they take into account many different factors such as energy use, GHG emissions, and water use. In order to get a complete picture of a product’s impact on the environment, the complete life cycle must be taken into account. Yet, LCAs can only shine a spotlight on a single product. They are not suitable for comparing different products as materials (e.g. fossil-based and bio-based) and process vary widely, limiting the ability to make sound, substantiated comparisons.

According to the ABA, products that do not meet the standards of Bioplastics, but only to ‘test methods’ for example, such as the oxo-degradables, almost certainly do not and will not biodegrade in a composting facility in any desired time frame.

Bioplastics are a family of products that are biodegradable, biobased or both.

Biodegradability can be confirmed by certification to various internationally recognised standards such as EN , ASTM D, or in Australia, AS -, where biodegradability in commercial composting facilities is desired. Biodegradability is not affected by the source of the raw material, so fossil-based raw materials can be biodegradable as can some renewable raw materials. These materials, once having passed the standards-required level of testing are certified compostable and therefore biodegradable.

Biobased refers to renewable raw material content in the material or product. For example, biobased-polyethylene (Bio-PE) can be produced from sugar cane, but it is not biodegradable and certainly not compostable. This material is not designed to end its functional life in composting.

The science behind the argument

In the global market today, there are many offerings of derivative plastics claiming to be biodegradable such as those termed by their proponents as oxo-degradable or oxo-biodegradable. These materials are not and probably never will be certified compostable according to the internationally recognised standards.

Biodegradation requires consumption by microorganisms, such as in commercial composting or home composting, but time, heat and other critical factors that affect the biodegradation and disintegration of the product or material, are measured against a performance standard [such as Australian Standard AS - (amendment 1, ), referred to above and Australian Standard AS - for products designed for home composting] with pass or fail criteria, as prescribed by the relevant standard.

Terms such as ‘oxo’, ‘hydro’, ‘chemo’ and ‘photo’ describe potential abiotic (non-biological process) mechanisms of degradation. They do not constitute or represent ‘biodegradability’ − the biological process by which microorganisms present in the disposal environment assimilate/utilise carbon substrates as food for their life processes.

Because it is an end of life option, and harnesses microorganisms present in the selected disposal environment, one must clearly identify the ‘disposal environment’ when discussing or reporting the biodegradability of a product, e.g., biodegradability in a composting environment (compostable plastic), biodegradability in a soil environment, biodegradability under anaerobic conditions (in an anaerobic digester environment or even a landfill environment) or biodegradability in a marine environment.

Reporting the time to complete biodegradation or more specifically the time required for the complete microbial assimilation of the plastic, in the selected disposal environment, is an essential requirement − so stating that a plastic will eventually biodegrade based on data showing an initial 10−20% biodegradability is not acceptable and is misleading, especially since the percentage biodegradation levels off and reaches a plateau after the initial rate and level of biodegradation − drawing a dotted line extrapolation from the initial rate and value to 100% biodegradation is scientifically untenable.

Specification standards with specific pass/fail criteria exist only for biodegradability in composting conditions − compostable plastics. There are a number of standard test methods for conducting, measuring and reporting biodegradability; however, they do not have pass/fail criteria associated with it. Therefore, an unqualified claim of biodegradability using a standard test method is misleading unless the biodegradability claim is qualified by the rate and extent of biodegradation in the test environment, and validated by an independent third-party laboratory using internationally adopted standard test methods.

Claims of degradable, partially biodegradable or eventually biodegradable are not acceptable, because it has been shown that these degraded fragments absorb toxins present in the environment, concentrating them and transporting them up the food chain.

The bioplastics industry is a young, innovative sector with an enormous economic and ecological potential for a low-carbon, circular bioeconomy that uses resources more efficiently. The current market for bioplastics is characterised by a dynamic growth rate and a strong diversification. Even though bioplastics still represent around one percent of the about 320 million tonnes of plastics produced worldwide annually (Source: Plastics Europe), the market for bioplastics is growing by about 20-100 percent annually.

With a growing number of materials, applications and products, the number of manufacturers, converters and end users is increasing steadily. Significant financial investments have been made in production and marketing to guide and accompany this development. Bioplastics are a relevant and leading segment of the plastics industry.

The factors driving market development are both internal and external. Especially external factors make bioplastics the attractive choice. This is reflected in the high rate of consumer acceptance and increased consumer demand for more sustainable options and products. Moreover, the extensively publicised effects of climate change, price fluctuations of fossil materials, and the necessity to reduce the dependency on fossil resources also contribute to bioplastics being viewed favourably.

From an internal perspective, bioplastics are efficient and technologically mature materials. They are able to improve the balance between the environmental benefits and the environmental impact of plastics. Life cycle analyses demonstrate that some bioplastics can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to conventional plastics (depending on the material and application). What is more, the increasing utilisation of biomass in bioplastic applications has two clear advantages: renewability and availability.

The Australian Standard for compost and EPA .1 compost guidelines for licensing and monitoring programs require strict pathogen control as measured by this table.

Pet faeces has a direct impact on faecal coliforms and E. Coli in particular which can both be difficult to manage and can re-grow even after a successful pasteurisation sequence in vessel. This requires continual vigilance through machine washing and disinfection, moisture and temperature management of maturing product and constant test monitoring.

The <1,000 MPN per gram for faecal coliforms is a tough standard to meet for each and every batch and is a compliance issue for both EPA and the Australian Standard. While pet faeces is absolutely compostable it elevates composters management risk significantly and therefore the risk to compost using customers who require strict quality control. The impact of not receiving animal faeces is small in terms of weight and organics recycling rates but large in terms of pathogenic risk. Further bear in mind the pathogens selected for monitoring and testing are simply indicators for the potentially dangerous pathogenic soup contained in the Council area’s whole animal faeces collected in the organic recycling program. [/av_toggle] [av_toggle title='Can I print a UBD/BBD on to a certified compostable item?' tags='' custom_id='' av_uid='av-lmt12k0d' sc_version='1.0'] In Australia and New Zealand, the use of use-by dates (UBDs) and best-before dates (BBDs) is required under the Food Standards Code.  The Code states that it is the food supplier which is responsible for placing the UBD or BBD on food.

The Code is enforced at federal, state/territory, and local government level (Read the list of agencies and departments responsible for enforcement).

Food Standards Australia New Zealand FSANZ has a guide to UBDs and BBDs: Use-by and best-before dates (foodstandards.gov.au).

As required by the Code, BBDs and UBDs are applied to the finished certified compostable packaging at different times in different facilities by the food supplier, rather than when the packaging supplier prints artwork on to the certified compostable food packaging.

The ABA recognises that it is impracticable for the Certificate of Conformance holder to have BBDs and UBDs assessed to the requirements of the Australian Standards, given the numerous points of application utilised to meet the requirements of the Code. The ABA suggests that the characteristic of the inks/printing used to apply BBD/UBDs to the packaging would be consistent with all food safety requirements and food contact regulations that the user of the packaging would normally subscribe to.

It is beyond the remit of the ABA to assess the physical nature of the inks/printing in the BBD as part of the Australian Standards for certified compostable articles, and is impracticable in terms of the requirements of the Code, and the volumes and nature of the certified article supplied.

In Australia and New Zealand, the use of use-by dates (UBDs) and best-before dates (BBDs) is required under the Food Standards Code.  The Code states that it is the food supplier which is responsible for placing the UBD or BBD on food.

The Code is enforced at federal, state/territory, and local government level (Read the list of agencies and departments responsible for enforcement).

Food Standards Australia New Zealand FSANZ has a guide to UBDs and BBDs: Use-by and best-before dates (foodstandards.gov.au).

As required by the Code, BBDs and UBDs are applied to the finished certified compostable packaging at different times in different facilities by the food supplier, rather than when the packaging supplier prints artwork on to the certified compostable food packaging.

The ABA recognises that it is impracticable for the Certificate of Conformance holder to have BBDs and UBDs assessed to the requirements of the Australian Standards, given the numerous points of application utilised to meet the requirements of the Code. The ABA suggests that the characteristic of the inks/printing used to apply BBD/UBDs to the packaging would be consistent with all food safety requirements and food contact regulations that the user of the packaging would normally subscribe to.

It is beyond the remit of the ABA to assess the physical nature of the inks/printing in the BBD as part of the Australian Standards for certified compostable articles, and is impracticable in terms of the requirements of the Code, and the volumes and nature of the certified article supplied.

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