Compostable Packaging
ASTM D6400, OK Compost, BPI, and CMA do not certify the same thing. Decode which mark proves what, which composters accept it, and what to require on a spec.
Compostable Packaging
ASTM D6400 vs OK Compost, decoded for buyers.
A supplier tells you their packaging is “certified compostable.” That sentence is worth almost nothing until you know which certification, to which standard, for which composting environment, and accepted by which facilities. Four marks dominate the North American and European compostable-packaging conversation, and they do not certify the same thing. This guide decodes ASTM D6400, OK Compost (TUV Austria, formerly Vincotte), BPI, and CMA so you can read a spec sheet, not a brochure.
This is vendor-neutral. When you are ready to source certified-compostable packaging at volume, you can request a quote and we will run a spec-controlled RFQ that requires named certifications and certificate numbers.
Why “certified compostable” is not one claim
Compostability is conditional. A material that fully breaks down in a 60-degree-Celsius industrial composting facility may sit inert in a backyard bin for years. The certifications exist to map a material to the specific environment where it actually composts, and the most common procurement mistake is treating an industrial-compost certification as if it guarantees home compostability. It does not.
The two questions every compostable claim must answer:
- Which environment? Industrial (high-heat, managed) or home (ambient, unmanaged)?
- Which standard and certifier? A test method (ASTM, EN) is not the same as a certification body (BPI, TUV, CMA) that audits and licenses a mark.
The four marks, decoded
ASTM D6400 (and D6868) — the test standard, not a logo
ASTM D6400 is the North American specification for plastics designed to compost in municipal and industrial aerobic facilities. ASTM D6868 is the companion standard for coatings on paper and fiber substrates. These are test standards: they define disintegration, biodegradation, and ecotoxicity thresholds. On their own they are a claim a lab can verify, but ASTM does not issue a consumer-facing logo. That is what certification bodies add.
When a supplier says “meets ASTM D6400,” ask who tested it and whether a certification body has licensed a mark on the basis of that testing. “Meets” is self-assertable; a certification is third-party audited.
BPI — the dominant North American industrial-compostable mark
The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certifies products to ASTM D6400 and D6868 for industrial composting in North America. The BPI logo is the mark most US commercial composters and municipalities recognize, and many composting facilities accept only BPI-certified items. BPI also screens for total fluorine (a PFAS proxy), which matters because several states now ban intentionally added PFAS in food packaging. If your downstream is North American commercial composting, BPI is usually the mark to require.
OK Compost (TUV Austria, formerly Vincotte) — the European standard, two tiers
TUV Austria runs the OK Compost certification family, the marks BioLogiQ and many suppliers reference when they say “Vincotte certified” (Vincotte is the legacy name; the program is now TUV Austria). There are two distinct tiers, and conflating them is the single most common cert-literacy error:
- OK Compost INDUSTRIAL certifies to EN 13432 for managed industrial composting.
- OK Compost HOME certifies to lower-temperature ambient conditions for backyard composting.
A product carrying OK Compost INDUSTRIAL is not certified for home composting. When a supplier cites “OK Compost” without the tier, that omission is the question to ask first.
CMA — field disintegration, not just a lab
The Compost Manufacturing Alliance (CMA) certifies through real-world disintegration testing at actual commercial composting facilities, across multiple processing technologies (windrow, aerated static pile, in-vessel). CMA exists because lab disintegration under ASTM conditions does not always match what a real facility sees on its real cycle time. Some North American composters now require CMA field-testing in addition to BPI. If your packaging must be accepted by specific facilities, CMA acceptance can matter more than a lab certificate.
Side-by-side: what each mark actually proves
| Dimension | ASTM D6400/D6868 | BPI | OK Compost (TUV) | CMA | |—|—|—|—|—| | What it is | Test standard | Certification + logo | Certification + logo | Field-disintegration certification | | Environment | Industrial | Industrial (NA) | Industrial OR Home (two tiers) | Real commercial facilities | | Underlying standard | ASTM D6400 / D6868 | ASTM D6400 / D6868 | EN 13432 (industrial) | Facility-observed disintegration | | PFAS screening | Not inherent | Total-fluorine limit | Heavy-metal + content limits | Varies | | Recognized by | Labs / specifiers | US composters + municipalities | EU composters + retailers | NA composters requiring field proof | | Self-assertable? | “Meets” is | No (audited) | No (audited) | No (field-tested) |
How this maps to procurement risk
The risk is not that a supplier lies; it is that you accept a true but incomplete claim and inherit a downstream problem. Three concrete failure modes:
- Environment mismatch. You buy OK Compost INDUSTRIAL material and market it as “home compostable.” That is a greenwashing exposure under FTC Green Guides and EU rules.
- Facility rejection. You buy ASTM-D6400-tested film with no BPI or CMA mark, and the regional composter your customers use will not accept it, so it lands in landfill anyway.
- PFAS exposure. You buy a fiber product with a barrier coating that “meets D6868” but was never fluorine-screened, and it fails a state PFAS-in-packaging ban.
A supplier who can name the certification, the tier, the certificate number, and the accepting facilities is quoting a real product. One who says “it is all certified” is quoting a marketing claim.
A compostable-certification spec checklist
Before you issue an RFQ, require each supplier to fill in:
- Composting environment: [industrial / home], stated explicitly
- Certification mark: [BPI / OK Compost INDUSTRIAL / OK Compost HOME / CMA]
- Underlying standard: [ASTM D6400 / D6868 / EN 13432]
- Certificate number and certifying body
- Total-fluorine / PFAS screening result, with method
- Facility acceptance evidence (CMA field result or named composters)
- Food-contact compliance if applicable (FDA migration data)
How ECS helps
ECS is a vendor-neutral routing partner. We translate “I need compostable packaging” into a certification-controlled spec, run the RFQ across qualified converters, verify each certificate number against the issuing body, and confirm the disposal environment your buyers actually have access to. We route to the supplier whose certification matches your downstream, not the one with the most logos on the brochure.
Request a quote with your format, volume, and target disposal environment to start.
Questions buyers ask
Frequently asked questions.
Is ASTM D6400 the same as a compost certification?
No. ASTM D6400 is a test standard. A certification body such as BPI or TUV Austria audits products against it and licenses a logo. “Meets ASTM D6400” is self-assertable; a BPI or OK Compost mark is third-party certified.
Does OK Compost mean a product is home compostable?
Only if it carries the OK Compost HOME tier. OK Compost INDUSTRIAL certifies for managed industrial composting, not backyard bins. Always ask which tier.
Why do some composters require CMA on top of BPI?
BPI certifies to ASTM lab conditions. CMA tests disintegration at real commercial facilities on their real cycle times. A material can pass the lab and still not finish in a given facility’s window, so some composters require field proof.
What about PFAS in compostable fiber packaging?
BPI enforces a total-fluorine limit as a PFAS proxy, and several US states ban intentionally added PFAS in food packaging. Require a fluorine screening result, especially for coated paper and fiber products.
A supplier says “Vincotte certified.” Is that current?
Vincotte is the legacy name for the program now run by TUV Austria as OK Compost / OK Biobased. Ask for the current certificate number and the specific OK Compost tier.
Keep reading
Related guides and pillars.
Ready to source
Turn this guide into a quote.
Once you know the spec and the certifications that gate your buy, the next step is a spec-controlled RFQ. Submit what you have and we return comparable, certification-verified bids.