Certified Home Compostable is a Big Deal!
As a leading provider of U.S.-made single-use cutlery and with sustainability at its core, LifeMade® Home Compostable Cutlery launched in July 2023. Made from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified bio-based material, this Home Compostable Cutlery has been designed, lab proven and certified to degrade in a home compost bin within six (6) months, providing usable compost for gardens in testing.*
These forks, spoons and knives are made in the U.S.A. and have earned the globally trusted TÜV AUSTRIA OK compost HOME certification. LifeMade® cutlery has also been certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) as commercially compostable. These utensils are free of bisphenol A (BPA) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
To receive Home Compost certification, our products underwent rigorous testing methods to meet specific criteria, including biodegradation†, disintegration†, plant toxicity† and characterization†. Biodegradable certification requires that the material must break down at a chemical level by aerobic bacterial consumption. To pass the disintegration test, 90% of remaining particles must be less than 2 millimeters in diameter at six (6) months. Plant toxicity means that the test compost cannot hinder plant growth versus the control compost‡, while characterization criteria means that the product cannot contain barred or toxic components.
Composting is natural recycling, and compostable products are not designed to go into recycling bins. LifeMade® cutlery is both home and commercially compostable*§, although commercially compostable facilities may not be available in all areas. Commercially compostable facilities can be searched at www.findacomposter.com.
*TUV Austria OK HOME Compostable Certified #2594
§BPI Commercially Compostable Certified #10529271
Test methods include †ASTM D6400 (USA), EN 13432 (EU/International), Ash, FTIR, Heavy Metals & Fluorine analysis, CO2 evolution ‡Plant growth must be within 90% of germination rate and biomass versus control soil. Home composting disintegration test conducted at OWS (Ghent, Belgium) according to NF-T51-800 (2015), AS 5810 (2010) and the OK Compost HOME certification scheme of TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium.