AIMPLAS laboratory, the technological Institute of Plastics, has obtained ENAC's accreditation, becoming the first one accredited for compost and soil biodegradation and plastic material degradation testing.

Plastic material biodegradability properties determine their suitability for future applications such as pre-packing and packaging. In fact, there are laws, such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste, which require the containers to be biodegradable so as to be recycled by fertilizer or compost, so they do not obstruct separated collection or the process or activity in which they have been introduced. To do this, they must have characteristics that, once converted into waste, enable them to undergo physical, chemical, thermal or biological decomposition so that most of the final compost decomposes ultimately into carbon dioxide, biomass and water.

Biodegradability and compostability testing answer not only this legal requirement, but also the interests of consumers, companies and the public administration to comply with environmental requirements.

AIMPLAS has obtained its testing accreditation in accordance with specific national and international standards to determine plastic material biodegradability levels: the UNE-EN 14855-1standard (for determining the final aerobic biodegradability of plastics under controlled composting conditions); the UNE-EN ISO 17556 standard (for determining the final aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in the earth by measuring the oxygen demand in a closed respirometer or by the amount of oxygen released); and the UNE - EN ISO 20200:2015 standard (for determining the degree of plastic material disintegration when plastics are exposed to composting in a laboratory environment).

AIMPLAS, Technological Institute of Plastics, has more than 25 years experience providing solutions to plastics industry companies, from manufacturers of raw material to converters and end users.