Why Measure your Product’s Biobased Content?

Validation of biobased claims

Acquire third-party verification of biobased content for clients, suppliers, manufacturers, or distributors.

Excellent marketing and communication tool

Promote biobased content in a way consumers can easily understand to increase product appeal and market share.

Precise results on biobased carbon content

Obtain data that is vital during R&D phase of product development. Optimize biobased content over time and as fossil content is phased out.

Testing is required by eco-labels and regulations

Programs like the USDA Biopreferred, Vinçotte’s OK Biobased, DIN-Geprüft Biobased, or Braskem I’m Green require ASTM D6866 measurements. France’s decree 2016-379 requires single-use plastic bags to have a biobased content of at least 30 percent starting January 1, 2017. Biobased content testing should be done in accordance with ISO 16620-2.

What can Biobased Testing do for me?

Manufacturers and distributors need biobased content testing to determine how much of the carbon within their product is derived from biomass. Applicable to liquids, solids and gases, the Carbon-14 measurement shows how much biobased material has been used in the formulation of products instead of the more readily available and less expensive petroleum-based alternatives. The test quantifies the biobased content of a material but results do not have any implication on the material’s biodegradability.