This document discusses compostable biobased food service ware. It begins by explaining the benefits of using compostable products, such as helping to capture food discards and complementing zero waste goals. It then discusses key concepts like biodegradable vs. compostable, and programs that have successfully utilized compostable products. The document cautions that compostable alone does not mean sustainable, and outlines criteria for environmentally preferable biobased food service ware. Examples of municipalities with strong composting programs utilizing compostable products are provided.

1. Compostable biobased
food service ware
Brenda Platt
SBC Co-Chair
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
May 12, 2011
Responsible Purchasing Network Webinar
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

2. Overview
 Why use compostable food service ware?
 Understanding difference between biobased vs
biodegradable vs compostable
 Programs utilizing compostable products
 Compostable alone ≠ sustainable
 Criteria for environmentally preferable
biobased food service ware
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

3. Resource Conservation Hierarchy
Most Preferable
Avoid & Reduce
Reuse
Recycle & Compost
Treat
Dispose
Source: U.S. EPA
Least Preferable
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

4. U.S. municipal waste disposed
160.9 million tons in 2009
Source: US EPA, 2009 data (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/msw99.htm)
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

5. Plastics Recycling: Failure?
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
Waste Generated
Thousands of tons
Material Recycled
of plastics 15,000
10,000
5,000
-
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007 2009
Source: US EPA, 2009 data (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/msw99.htm)
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

6. Composting: A Success Story
Yard Debris,
Thousands
of tons
Source: US EPA, 2009 data (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/msw99.htm)
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

7.  Creates a rich nutrient-filled material, humus,
 Increases the nutrient content in soils,
 Helps soils retain moisture,
 Reduces or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers,
 Suppresses plant diseases and pests,
 Promotes higher yields of agricultural crops,
 Helps regenerate poor soils,
 Has the ability to cleanup (remediate) contaminated soil,
 Can help prevent pollution and manage erosion problems.
BLACK GOLD

8. Benefits of Biobased Alternatives
 Can be composted locally into a soil
amendment
 Can help capture food discards
 Can complement zero waste goals
 Can replace many harmful conventional
plastics
 Can be fully biodegradable (capable of
being utilized by living matter)
 Can be made from a variety of renewable
resources
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

9. How Exposure to Polystyrene
Affects the Human Body
 Polystyrene in made from the monomer
styrene (vinyl benzene)
 Styrene remains present in polystyrene
(no polymerization process is 100% efficient)
 Styrene = a neurotoxicant and suspected
human carcinogen
 Styrene impairs the central and peripheral
nervous systems.
 Exposure to styrene in the workplace has
also been associated with chromosomal
aberrations, thus is considered a mutagen.
 Carcinogenic Effects: Proven that it causes
cancer in animals, but there are no long-
term studies showing that PS causes cancer
in humans.
 Polystyrene contains alkylphenols, an
additive linked to breast cancer.
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

10. Styrene Leaches into Food
“The ability of styrene monomer to migrate from
polystyrene packaging to food has been reported in a
number of publications and probably accounts for the
greatest contamination of foods by styrene
monomer.”
World Health Organization
Styrene Chapter, Air Quality Guidelines-2nd Edition, WHO
Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2000
http://www.euro.who.int (search “Chapter 5.12 Styrene”)
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

11. The Good News on Biobased Alternatives
 Variety of resins & products available
 Performance improving
 Experience and R&D growing
 Growth expected
 The federal biobased procurement
program – BioPreferred – will open up
new markets
 Standards in place
 Price competitiveness improving
 Demand increasing
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

12. ASTM Standards & 3rd-party certifiers
 D 6866 – defines and quantifies biobased content
 D 6400 – specification for biodegradation in commercial
composting systems
 D 7081 – specification for biodegradation in the marine
environment
 D 5988 – test method for biodegradation in soil
 D 5511 – test method for biodegradation in anaerobic
digesters
www.bpiworld.org
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

13. Degradable Vs. Biodegradable
Degradable Biodegradable
May be invisible to naked Completely assimilated into
eye food and energy source
Fragment into smaller pieces by microbial populations
No data to document in a short time period
biodegradability within Meet biodegradability
one growing season standards
Migrate into water table
Not completely assimilated
by microbial populations
in a short time period
1989 Cover of Environmental Action
Source for definitions: Dr. Ramani Narayan, Michigan State Univ.
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

14. Biodegradable vs. Biobased
Non-biodegradable biobased plastics are here
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

15. Biodegradability alone is not an
environmental goal
Products should be:
 Reusable,
 Recyclable, or
 Compostable
Purchasers can use their purchasing power to drive
the market toward more environmentally preferable
products
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

16. Boulder Farmers’ Market
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

17. Whole Foods
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

18. ESPN
X Games
use of
compostable
bio-ware and
organics
collection =
80% event
waste
diversion!
© Disney

19. San Francisco: Aiming for Zero Waste
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

20. Color-coded compostable design for 400k
at SF Festival
Photos courtesy of City of San Francisco
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

21. Seattle: Cedar Grove Composting
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

22. Seattle: Compostable Food Service Ware
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

23. Acceptable Compostable Products
http://cedar-grove.com/acceptable/Accepted%20List.asp
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

24. More Info on Early Adopters
www.sustainableplastics.org
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

25. Not All Bioproducts Created Equal
 Biobased content  Additives and blends
 Material feedstock type  Recyclability
 Feedstock location  Performance
 Biodegradability  Products
 Commercial compost sites
 Home composting
 Marine environment
 Anaerobic digestion
Biobased content alone ≠ sustainable
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

26. Challenges with Biobased Products
Concern over genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Desire for sustainably grown biomass
Need to develop adequate recycling and composting
programs
Concern with nanomaterials and
fossil-fuel-plastic blends
Lack of adequate labeling
Concern over contamination
of recycling systems
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

27. Genetically Modified Crops
 Can be toxic, allergenic or less nutritious
than their natural counterparts
 Can disrupt the ecosystem, damage
vulnerable wild plant and animal
populations and harm biodiversity
 Increase chemical inputs (pesticides,
herbicides) over the long term
 Deliver yields that are no better, and often
worse, than conventional crops
 Cause or exacerbate a range of social and
economic problems
 Are laboratory-made and, once released,
harmful GMOs cannot be recalled from
the environment.
Source: http://www.nongmoproject.org/
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

28. What We Put Into Corn…
 Average of over 120 lbs.
nitrogen fertilizer per
acre
 Among the highest levels
of herbicide and
pesticide use for
conventional crops
 Irrigation water
 Proprietary hybrids
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

29. Survey Data:
feedstock types and sources
 China  India
– Bulrush – Fallen palm leaves
– Bagasse  Thailand/Vietnam
– Tapioca starch
– PSM (Plastarch Material)
– Grass fiber
– Corn
– Bagasse
– Chinese PLA
 Malaysia
– PHBV* – Palm fiber
– PBS**  USA
– Cornstarch – NatureWorks PLA
– “Natural total chlorine-free pulp”
– Recycled wood fiber
*polyhydroxybutyrate-polyhydroxyvalerate
**polybutylene succinate (petrochemical + succinic acid)
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

30. Path from Field to Producer
“The source product is from Brazil,
then turned into cornstarch in China,
then the starch is used in
our manufacturer’s facility.”
“Feedstocks grown in Midwestern US.
Manufacture the resin
in Hawthorne, CA today,
but plan to manufacture
in Seymour, IN shortly.”
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

31. Recyclable?
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

32. Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative
As You Sow
The Sustainable Biomaterials Center for Health, Environment and Justice
Collaborative is a network of Clean Production Action *
Environmental Health Fund *
organizations working together to Green Harvest Technologies
Green Purchasing Institute
spur the introduction and use of Health Care Without Harm
Healthy Building Network
biomaterials that are sustainable Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy *
from cradle to cradle. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance*
Lowell Center for Sustainable Production *
Collaborative is creating Sustainable Research Group
Pure Strategies
sustainability guidelines, RecycleWorld Consulting
engaging markets, and promoting Responsible Purchasing Network
Science & Environmental Health Network
policy initiatives. Seventh Generation
National Campaign for Sustainable Ag.
Whole Foods
City of San Francisco
* Steering committee
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

33. Defining Sustainable Life Cycles by Principles
 Sustainable feedstocks /
Sustainable agriculture
 Green chemistry /
Clean production
 Closed loop systems /
cradle to cradle /
zero waste
“Just because it’s biobased, doesn’t make it green”
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

34. Biomass Feedstock
 Avoid hazardous chemicals
 Avoid GMOs
 Conserve soil & nutrients
 Biological diversity
 Sustainable agriculture plan
 Protect workers
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

35. Manufacturing
 Support sustainable feedstock
 Reduce fossil energy use
 Avoid problematic blends & additives
 Avoid untested chemicals and engineered nano
particles
 Design for recycling & composting
 Maximize process safety/reduce emissions
 Green chemistry
 Protect workers
35
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

36. End of Life
 Compostable or recyclable
 Biodegradable in aquatic systems
 Adequate product labeling
 Adequate recovery infrastructure
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

37. Development of Specifications for
Environmentally Preferable Products
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

38. Next Steps
 Vetted List of Products
 Clear process for manufacturers to assess
conformance to criteria
 Beta-test conformance process
 Green Purchasing Institute finalize sample
purchasing bid specifications and documents
 Work with purchasers to beta-test bid specs
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org

39. Contact
Brenda Platt
SBC, Co-Chair
Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Co-Director
bplatt@ilsr.org
202-898-1610 ext 230
www.sustainablebiomaterials.org www.sustainablebiomaterials.org