The Biodegradable Products Institute in the US has awarded its first "Compostable Logo" for food service items to Biocorp and Veriplast International for biodegradable cups and food containers manufactured by Cargill Dow.
"We are very pleased to introduce on the market the first food service product in the US to carry the compostable logo. It has been a long association and a lot of efforts with our partner Veriplast," said Frederic Scheer, president of Biocorp.
The logo will be used on all Biocorp's food service products made from the biodegradable material called NatureWorks, which is up to 1.7 mm in thickness. The food service items include cups of various sizes, food containers, such as sandwich box, carry-out salad, fruits & vegetables containers.
NatureWorks is derived from renewable domestic resources (corn) and is fully compostable and biodegradable. The packaging products are designed to be disposed of in composting sites along with food scraps, leaves and yard trimmings and can also be disposed of in landfills and incinerated without toxic emissions.
The Compostable Logo is a joint effort between the US Composting Council and the BPI to identify plastic products which are designed to biodegrade in municipal and commercial composting systems, as do leaves, grass and food scraps, and do not leave any plastic fragments. All products certified by the BPI meet ASTM D6400-99 "Specifications for Compostable Plastics."
The packaging products have been tested by independent laboratories and the results have been reviewed by leading scientific experts in the field of biodegradable plastics.
"Third party verification means that consumers and composters no longer need to rely on manufacturers' claims," stated Steven Mojo, BPI Executive Director. "When they see the BPI-USCC logo, they know that the product will not leave any plastic pieces or residues in the compost or soil."
Biocorp is a provider of biodegradable packaging designed to be sustainable and is involved in all levels of the supply and recovery of sustainable packaging. Biocorp's NatureWorks products are manufactured by Veriplast International under a manufacturing agreement.
Veriplast International is a leading supplier for disposable products and food service solutions with eight manufacturing plants all over Europe. Cargill Dow is the first US company to offer its customers a family of polymers derived entirely from annually renewable resources.