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Biodegradable and/or Compostable Products
Let’s work together
If you are rethinking the end-of-life of your ingredients or exploring compostable materials, our teams can help. We work with you to identify materials with credible biodegradable or compostable characteristics, certifications, that your own regulatory and legal can review.
Why do biodegradable and compostable products matter?
End-of-life performance is a growing focus for brands, regulators, and consumers. Materials designed to biodegrade or be composted can reduce the persistence of organic materials in the environment, support circularity strategies where organic recycling or composting exists, and complement wider efforts to cut waste, litter, and microplastics.
At the same time, “biodegradable” and “compostable” are often used loosely, which can lead to confusion or over-claiming. Our Biodegradable and/or Compostable characteristic in the Univar Solutions Sustainable & Natural Product (SNP) framework focuses on how a material breaks down, following OECD 301 and 302. It is not a blanket guarantee of environmental benefit.
What it means
In the SNP framework, Biodegradable and/or Compostable applies to materials that can be broken down in a reasonable time into substances such as biomass, water, carbon dioxide, and minerals, without leaving persistent, toxic, or microplastic residues.
Materials can qualify as:
- Biodegradable where recognised test guidelines show “readily” or “inherently” biodegradable behaviour in relevant environments (typically OECD 301 ready biodegradability and OECD 302 inherent biodegradability, or equivalent methods).
- Compostable where they meet industrial or home composting standards and are shown to disintegrate and biodegrade safely in specified systems.
This characteristic focuses on end-of-life behavior under defined conditions. It does not, by itself, mean a material is “low impact”, “plastic-free”, or suitable for any particular ecolabel or marketing claim, and it does not replace regulatory, legal, or waste-management guidance. Overall impact depends on the full life cycle and how the material is used and disposed of.
How it works
Biodegradable and/or compostable status is determined at the material level, using supplier documentation and, where available, third-party certifications. We receive:
- Test methods used (for example relevant OECD biodegradation guidelines or composting standards)
- Environments and conditions applied (such as marine, soil, freshwater, industrial or home composting)
- Classifications (for example “readily biodegradable”, “industrial compostable”)
- Limitations, such as environments where performance is or is not expected
The outcome is a summary of how the material is reported to behave at end-of-life under defined conditions, not a claim that it will (bio)degrade in all environments. Our characteristic is based on information from suppliers and, where applicable, certification bodies; we do not independently verify all data, methodologies, or calculations. Customers remain responsible for assessing suitability, performance, environmental impacts, and claims for their specific products and uses.
Criteria and Standards
Assessment may reference, where relevant:
- Biodegradability test guidelines, for example OECD 301 (ready biodegradability), OECD 302 (inherent biodegradability), or equivalent methods
- Industrial and home composting standards (for example EN, ISO, or ASTM standards for packaging and plastics)
- Third-party schemes and marks, where relevant to the material and application
These criteria help us assess whether biodegradability and compostability characteristics are supported by test-based evidence and clearly defined conditions of use. They do not mean that materials are certified, approved, or compliant with these schemes unless this is explicitly stated in supplier or certification documentation.
Supporting Documentation
To classify materials under this characteristic, we typically look for:
- Safety data sheets (SDS) and technical data sheets (TDS) summarizng biodegradation or composting performance
- Test reports or summaries indicating methods, conditions, and key results
- Certificates or approvals from recognised bodies for compostability or biodegradability, where available
- Supplier statements that clearly describe claims, limits, and appropriate use
This documentation supports internal reviews, customer responses, and responsible communication of end-of-life claims. It does not, on its own, confirm regulatory compliance or guarantee that specific marketing claims are appropriate for finished products.
Let's Work Together
If you are rethinking the end-of-life of your ingredients, exploring biodegradable or compostable, or responding to concerns about persistence, our teams can help. We work with you to identify materials with credible biodegradable or compostable characteristics, provide test data and certifications, and help you consider claims grounded in recognised standards, alongside your own technical, regulatory, and legal assessments.
Explore our Sustainable & Natural product framework
Biodegradable and/or Compostable is one of the characteristics within the Univar Solutions Sustainable & Natural Product (SNP) framework, alongside natural, bio-based, carbon footprinting, circularity, safer substitutes, social and environmental accreditation. Together, these characteristics help you see how feedstock choices, performance, and end-of-life behaviour fit into a broader view of product-level sustainability attributes and trade-offs.
Explore our accredited products
Looking for biodegradable or compostable options for personal care, wipes and coating formulations, packaging, cleaners, or other applications? Browse our SNP-classified portfolio to find materials supported by recognized biodegradability or compostability test data or certifications, and see how they can contribute to your performance and sustainability goals alongside your own regulatory and labelling assessments for finished products.
NOTICE: All product information is provided in good faith and is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication based on information received from the supplier and secondary databases. However, Univar Solutions is not able to verify whether third-party data is accurate, complete, and up-to-date and assumes no responsibility, obligation, or liability for the information provided. NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES ARE GIVEN AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SUCH AS THOSE OF MERCHANTABILTIY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED. Customer is solely responsible for determining whether products and/or the information provided are appropriate for Customer’s use, and Customer assumes all risk and liability in acting on the information provided.
Our Suppliers also sign our Supplier Code of Conduct so you can be assured that we are working throughout our supply chain to transparently create our Sustainable & Natural Products Portfolio.
