Material Selection
Home Compostable vs Industrial Compostable: How to Choose
The Short Answer
Home Compostable vs Industrial Compostable
Industrial compostable means a material reaches 90% biodegradation at 58 °C inside a permitted composting plant within six months. Home compostable means it reaches the same 90% at 20 to 30 °C, in an unheated garden heap, within twelve months.
Home compostable is the harder of the two. A material certified home compostable also satisfies the industrial condition. The reverse is not true, and that single fact is where most specification mistakes start.
Which one you need is decided by where the item ends up, not by which claim reads better on a pack.
Standards Compared
Two Classes, Two Sets of Requirements
Both classes test the same three things: that the material breaks down, that it leaves no visible fragments, and that the compost it produces still grows plants. What changes is the temperature and the time allowed. Industrial compostability has one EU standard, EN 13432. Home compostability does not: France set its own with NF T51-800, Australia with AS 5810, and the only EU standard, EN 17427, covers carrier bags alone.
| Industrial compostable | Home compostable | |
|---|---|---|
| Reference standard | EN 13432 in Europe, ASTM D6400 in the United States | No harmonized standard; OK compost HOME (TÜV Austria) sets its own requirements |
| Certification mark | OK compost INDUSTRIAL, Seedling, BPI Certified | OK compost HOME |
| Test temperature | 58 °C ± 2 | 20 to 30 °C |
| Biodegradation | 90% within 6 months | 90% within 12 months |
| Disintegration | 90% through a 2 mm sieve within 12 weeks | 90% through a 2 mm sieve within 6 months |
| Disposal route | Permitted industrial composting plant | Domestic compost heap or bin |
| Heavy metals | Limits set by the standard | Limits set by the standard |
| Ecotoxicity | Plant growth test on the resulting compost | Plant growth test on the resulting compost |
The two are not alternatives on a shelf. Home compostable is a stricter case of the same test, run colder and given longer.
Why It Matters
Why the Temperature Difference Decides Everything
An industrial composting plant is a managed process. It holds a thermophilic phase at around 58 °C, turns the material, controls moisture and aeration, and runs to a schedule. A garden heap does none of that. It follows the weather, and across most of Europe it spends the winter close to ambient.
A material qualified only at 58 °C has never been asked to work at 12 °C. Put it in a garden heap and it can stay recognizable for a long time. That is not a product failure. It is a material being used outside the conditions it was tested in.
Two practical consequences follow:
- If the item goes home with a consumer, industrial certification only works where a separate collection exists that actually accepts compostable packaging. Acceptance varies by country and by scheme, so it has to be confirmed for each market you sell into.
- If the item stays inside a controlled loop, such as a canteen, an event, a hospital or in-store take-back, industrial certification is enough and is usually faster and cheaper to reach.
Read the Small Print
What a Compostability Certificate Does Not Cover
A certificate is precise about what it covers, and silent about everything else. Three limits catch people out.
Compostable is not the same as biodegradable in nature
Compost certification describes behavior in a compost environment. Soil biodegradation and marine biodegradation are separate standards with separate tests. A certificate for one says nothing about the others.
Compostable does not exempt an item from the Single Use Plastics Directive
Under Directive (EU) 2019/904, bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics are treated as plastic. Items on the ban list, including cutlery, plates, straws and stirrers, stay banned in a compostable version. Compostability changes the end of life, not the legal classification.
Material certification and product certification are different things
A compostability certificate can be held at two levels. A material certificate covers the compound itself, in resin or granulate form. A product certificate covers one specific finished article. They are separate scopes, and a supplier quoting one is not quoting the other. Ask which one you are being shown.
Choosing
When to Specify Home Compostable and When Industrial Is Enough
Specify home compostable when
- The item leaves your control and is likely to end up in household waste or a garden heap
- You sell into markets with no separate collection for compostable packaging
- The item is thin, small, or so contaminated with food that recycling is not realistic
- A customer brief or retailer specification names OK compost HOME
- You want one specification that satisfies both disposal routes
Industrial compostable is enough when
- The item stays inside a closed loop such as a canteen, a festival, a hospital or in-store take-back
- The part is rigid and cannot realistically meet a home compost timeframe
- The packaging format is one the EU requires to be industrially compostable
- Mechanical and thermal performance matter more than disposal flexibility
Where the answer is unclear, the fastest way to settle it is a disintegration test on the real part, not a longer specification meeting.
Regulation
Packaging the EU Now Requires to Be Compostable
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 names a short list of formats that have to be compostable rather than recyclable. Article 9 covers permeable tea bags, single serve coffee and beverage units, and sticky labels applied to fruit and vegetables. The requirement is industrial compostability.
Article 9 also allows individual member states to extend the requirement to rigid machine capsules and very lightweight carrier bags, so the applicable rule can differ between markets. Confirm the requirement for each country you sell into before the specification is fixed.
Working With Biomera
How We Set the Compostability Target
Our compound range is certified home compostable under the OK compost HOME scheme and industrially compostable under OK compost INDUSTRIAL and ASTM D6400. Even so, we do not start from the certificate. We start from where the part ends up, then choose the compound family, the biomass loading and the part geometry that reach that target while still running on your machine.
- We confirm the disposal route in your target markets before the formulation is fixed
- We select the compound family against that route, not against the strongest available claim
- We hold compostability certification on the material itself, home and industrial, and confirm the scope that applies to your article
- We supply the technical data sheet and the test evidence you need for your own documentation
Our compound ranges cover both classes. See our materials range for the full portfolio, or the bio-based masterbatch route if you are modifying a polymer you already run.
Common Questions
Home and Industrial Compostability, Answered
Is home compostable better than industrial compostable?
Not better, harder. Home compostable passes a colder and slower test, so it satisfies both disposal routes. It also takes longer to develop. The better choice is whichever matches where the item is actually disposed of.
Can an industrial compostable material break down in a garden compost heap?
It is not qualified to. EN 13432 tests at 58 °C, and a garden heap rarely holds that temperature. An industrially certified item can stay intact in a home heap for a long time, and it must not be labeled for home composting.
Does compostable mean it biodegrades in soil or in the sea?
No. Compost, soil and marine biodegradation are three separate standards with three separate tests. A compostability certificate covers compost conditions only.
Is a compostable product exempt from the Single Use Plastics Directive?
No. Directive (EU) 2019/904 treats bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics as plastic. Products on the ban list stay banned in a compostable version.
Which home compostability standard applies in France?
NF T51-800. The OK compost HOME mark issued by TUV Austria is the certification most widely recognized across Europe, and EN 17427 is the European reference for carrier bags suitable for home composting.
Is compostability certified on the material or on the finished product?
Certification can be held at two different levels. A material certificate covers the compound itself, in resin or granulate form. A product certificate covers a specific finished article. They are separate scopes, so check which one a supplier is quoting. Biomera holds certification on the material.
How long does home compostability certification take?
Plan for up to twelve months, because the standard allows the material twelve months to reach 90% biodegradation. Disintegration runs up to six months alongside it. Build certification into the project timeline rather than adding it at the end.
Can one material be certified for both home and industrial composting?
Yes. Passing the home compost test also satisfies the industrial condition, and both marks are commonly held for the same item.