INDEX

Biodegradable

When exposed to light, air, moisture and microbes, biodegradable materials break down to natural elements that are found in nature. While all materials can technically break down, many petroleum-based plastics take tens of thousands of years to do so and leave toxins in the surrounding soil. ‘Biodegradable’ products should biodegrade within a single generation, and leave nothing but water, carbon dioxide, naturally occurring minerals and biomass behind. The core principle of compostability is to leave soil enriched by the composting of a material. While similar, biodegradation and compostability are not the same: correct biodegradation adds no nutrients while not harming the soil.

Biobased
Bio-based materials are made from biomass, for example sugar cane or corn starch. Materials intentionally made from substances derived from living (or once-living) organisms. Bio-based materials or biomaterials fall under the broader category of bioproducts or bio-based products which includes materials, chemicals and energy derived from renewable biological resources.

Circular Economy
An economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way. «the notion of a circular economy has gained traction, with many companies looking to operate in a way which minimizes waste».

Industrially compostable
The process of biodegradation under anaerobic conditions (without oxygen) in 6 to 12 weeks is called “industrially compostable”. When in a suitable environment or place, industrial compostable products break down polymers, bioplastics into CO2 and other elements into biomass or soil.

A suitable environment meets the following criteria:
– Ambient temperature between 50° and 70°C
– Suitable humidity (about 70% humidity)
– Adapted pressure
– Presence of certain types of microbes and in a certain quantity

It is possible to compost in 2 ways:
Home compost: A confined unit that creates the previously mentioned environment, often using food scraps, plant matter and worms.
Industrial compost: An industrial facility, often run by the city or local government, that takes and processes industrially approved material for large-scale composting. Industrial facilities create hotter environments with higher pressure than home composting.

Recycling
the action or process of converting waste into reusable material.

Upcycling
reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.