Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI)

BPI is #ScienceBased 🔬🌱 It is fundamentally incorrect that BPI-certified compostable products are more toxic than traditional plastics. In addition to baseline requirements that all products must meet, ASTM compostability standards require tests including strict heavy metals limits, plant toxicity, and biodegradation in compost. “Composters that participate in the USCC’s Seal of Testing Assurance, that meet the program requirements, can accept and process BPI certified compostable products and meet state operating permit and product distribution standards,” says Frank Franciosi, US Composting Council's Executive Director. Read our press release regarding Beyond Plastic's report here: https://bit.ly/3y1ZBqW . . . #PressRelease #Collaborative #Transparent #MissionDriven #ScienceBased #FutureForward #ZeroWaste #CompostableProducts #CompostablePackaging #CompostIndustry

2024 BPI Summit speaker/session highlight 📢✨ Meet Kate Flynn, Co-Founder and CEO of Sun & Swell Foods, a Certified Women-Owned, B-Corporation with a mission to eliminate single-use plastics from the packaged food industry and build a more circular food system. Kate will be speaking on Thursday, Sept. 12th, 10:10am – 11:10am PDT in the session titled Consumer Food Packaging: How Brands are Introducing Innovations. The majority of compostable products have been focused on food scraps collection (e.g. bags) and foodservice (e.g. cups, cutlery, takeout containers). More recently we’ve seen progress with consumer brands launching compostable food packaging, particularly on the flexible packaging front. What’s involved with the R&D and cost considerations for consumer packaging? What role can these brands play for consumer education, and how can these new items help mitigate contamination (and therefore bring value to composters)? We hope to see you there! Visit https://lnkd.in/gFxKQdGg to learn more about the event. . . . #2024BPISummit #CompostingIndustry #CompostableProducts #CompostablePackaging #Conference #Education #Consumer #FoodPackaging #Sustainability #ZeroWaste

BPI is #transparent 🔎✅ BPI’s certification claims are transparent, utilizing independent testing labs, ASTM/ISO standards, a public set of certification criteria, and disclaimers noting limited access to composting today. Certification decisions are made entirely by DIN CERTCO, an independent global leader with no ties to BPI Members or the Board. BPI’s certification rules exceed the ASTM specifications, with multiple examples, including a pioneering #PFAS prohibition and progressive on-product labeling requirements. Read our press release regarding Beyond Plastic's report here: https://bit.ly/3y1ZBqW . . . #PressRelease #Collaborative #Transparency #MissionDriven #ScienceBased #FutureForward #ZeroWaste #CompostableProducts #CompostablePackaging #CompostIndustry

BPI is #collaborative 🤝✔️ BPI's approach is systemic, involving collaboration with a diverse network of members and organizations beyond product companies to include composters, municipalities, restaurants, government officials, academic scientists, and consumer groups. This cross-section of the value chain creates informed positions so that items can be composted in practice and, in the future, composted at scale. Read our press release regarding Beyond Plastic's report here: https://bit.ly/3y1ZBqW . . . #PressRelease #Transparent #MissionDriven #ScienceBased #FutureForward #ZeroWaste #CompostableProducts #CompostablePackaging #CompostIndustry

A message from Rhodes Yepsen, on behalf of BPI: “As Executive Director of BPI, I’d like to address a recent report published by Beyond Plastics that fundamentally mischaracterizes compostable bioplastics and BPI's mission. The report falsely claims that certified compostable products are not properly tested and specifically targets the credibility of BPI and our Board of Directors, which is unfounded. It’s clear to all that work with us that BPI's certification is transparent and rigorous and that we’re committed to diverting food scraps and associated packaging away from landfills. If Beyond Plastics had taken the time to contact BPI while preparing this report, it would have discovered a highly collaborative and transparent organization dedicated to driving positive change for society and the environment. I believe it's crucial to set the record straight, to highlight the true impact and potential of compostable bioplastics, and the crucial and legitimate role BPI provides in achieving climate and zero waste goals as the leading authority on compostable products and packaging." Read our press release here: https://bit.ly/3y1ZBqW . . . #PressRelease #Collaborative #Transparent #MissionDriven #ScienceBased #FutureForward #ZeroWaste #CompostableProducts #CompostablePackaging #CompostIndustry

2024 BPI Summit session highlight ✨♻️✨- Trusting Compostable Products to Break Down, Part 1: What Tests in the Lab and Field Tell Us Testing and standards are at the heart of the compostable products industry, demonstrating that finished items will successfully break down in a well-managed composting facility (disintegration), that they don’t negatively impact compost quality (heavy metals, PFAS, plant toxicity), and that microplastics aren’t created (biodegradation of the organic carbon). Part 1 will dive into the science behind the standardized tests used for certification, and what recent field-testing data shows. We hope you can join us for this important discussion on Sept. 11, 1:15-2:15PM in Berkeley, California with speakers Janet Thoman from Compost Manufacturing Alliance and Caroline Barry from Closed Loop Partners. Explore other sessions at the BPI Summit here: https://lnkd.in/gFxKQdGg . . . #2024BPISummit #CompostingIndustry #CompostableProducts #Biodegradation #Testing #PFAS #Speakers #Education #FutureForward #ZeroWaste

Were you able to make it to our webinar with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, where Alex Truelove and Mellik Gorton discussed Colorado's groundbreaking legislation for compostable products labeling? If not, view the entire webinar here and dive deep into SB-253: https://bit.ly/3XNhqoi . . . #CompostingIndustry #Legislation #Colorado #Labeling #CompostableProducts #Advocacy #Sustainability #ZeroWaste #FutureForward

Join us for our upcoming webinar “Compost for Organic Agriculture: NOSB’s Upcoming Decisions” on Thursday, July 25, 2024, at 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Featuring industry experts including Ron Alexander, Rhodes Yepsen from Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), and Tim Dewey-Mattia from Napa Recycling & Waste Services, this webinar will look at past and potential future decisions from the National Organic Standards Board and how it could impact compost and compostable product manufacturers. Click the link below to register today and join the conversation! https://lnkd.in/eJGV5WGe

Polylactic acid (PLA) biodegradation update 📦🌱 New meta-study findings show “the main difference when compared to non-biodegradable polymers is that PLA will eventually be fully hydrolyzed and biodegraded, and no persistent particles will remain and accumulate.” While these findings do not encourage littering, they indicate that biopolymers like PLA not only play an important role for compostable products and achieving zero waste, but they are also fundamentally different from conventional plastics even when not composted, such as when accidentally leaked into the environment. Learn more about the research from HYDRA Marine Sciences here: https://bit.ly/3XIHAZ1 . . . #PLA #CompostableProducts #CompostablePackaging #CompostIndustry #Biodegradation #ZeroWaste #Research #Sustainability

Innovative funding alert❗- the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) initiative ✨📢 ASCE is a partnership between USDA and the specialty crops sector aiming to mitigate non-tariff trade barriers on U.S. exports of fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, horticultural crops, and other products. Of particular interest, this project includes work to address the implications of new and forthcoming regulations related to plastics and packaging for fresh produce and other specialty crop products. Check out the funding opportunities here: https://bit.ly/3xIidvT - most applications are due by July 17th! . . . #USDA #Funding #SpecialtyCrops #CompostableProducts #CompostablePackaging #CompostIndustry #Sustainability #Horticulture #Crops #Exports