Green Label Product Compostible Plastics Product TGL Edition October 2012

Transcription

1 Green Label Product Compostible Plastics Product TGL Edition October 2012 Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) 16/151 Muang Thong Thani, Bond Street, Bangpood, Pakkred, Nonthaburi Thailand Phone: ext. 303, 306, 315, 316, 329 Fax: Website:

2 Table of Contents 1 Background 3 2 Scope 3 3 Defintions 3 4 General requirements 4 5 Product-specific criteria 5 6 Compliance verification 4 7 For future review of the standard 8 TGL Page 2/9

3 TGL Compostible Plastics Product 1. Background Currently, product parts and product packaging are increasingly made from plastic, foam, glass, paper, metals, and aluminium, which eventually end up as waste in landfills. In particular, plastic waste amounted to 7,391 ton per day or about 18% of the total waste or 2.7 million ton. Since plastics are easily molded into different shapes; have low density; strong; durable; and cheap, they are the preferred material that can be custumized as per the user s desire. Consequently, plastic materials are used widely in many industries ranging from packaging, product parts, and equipment structures. The low-cost advantages of plastic make it a popular material for products that are diposed after one use (disposable product) such as plastic bags, foam box, and many others. Certainly, this is an inefficient use of resources, which increased waste problems to society and causes environmental degradation as plastics are not naturally degradable. Some plastics requires hundreds of years to degrade as such compostable plastics are encouraged for use in products and packaging to replace conventional plastics to reduce pollution in the environment. Therefore, development of the Green Label Scheme for compostable plastics products provides an alternative for reducing environmental impact according to green label criteria. These products must be biologically compostable while reducing the responsibilities to manage waste, and contains no bioaccumulative and hazardous substances. 2. Scope Compostable plastics products include products produced from compostable plastics, which can be recovered later through composting process. Examples of possible product for certification Rubbish bags Shopping bags Agricultural and horticultural products such as mulch film, plant pot, plastic net for plants, plastic nets for agriculture (including animal net trap, bird trap, and insect screen net), plastic used in forestry Non-food packaging and containers Disposable plastics product or single use NOTE: All product parts must be compostable ; however, the criteria is not applicable to food packaging, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, toys, and sanitary products such as pampers and disposable medicinal tools and equipments. 3. Definitions 3.1. Products refers to ready to use product in which all parts of the product must be compostable Conventional plastics is a plastic made from petrochemical industry. TGL Page 3/9

4 3.3. Compostable plastics are composted through biological processes and are broken down to carbondioxide, water, organic compounds, and biomass as by-products. The byproducts must not have remnants of observable plastics or generates toxicity to the ecosystem. Compostable plastics through biological processes should have disintegration rate equals to that of cellulose Composting is an aerobic process to make compost as fertilizer Recovery of plastic is a composting process composed of efficient management and suitable environmental condition such as temperature, humidity, oxygen level, nitrogencarbon ratio, and other factors. Under these suitable conditions, plastics disintegrates into parts and degraded naturally similar to grass, craft paper bags, and food waste. 4. General requirements 4.1. Compostable plastics products must comply with one of the following criteria below: Product must be certified by Thai Industrial Standard Institute (TISI) for the relevant product 6.1. Applicant must present certified document by TISI for the relevant product The product must have proven results to pass the criteria defined by TISI for the relevant product Applicant must present test results according to standards of TISI for the relevant product. NOTE: 1) Test results must be within 1 year from the date of issue on the day the 2) If the applicant desires to present test results report from other equivalent test methods according to the Green Label Scheme criteria, the applicant must also hands-in 2 documents along with the application: 2.1) Signed document from the laboratory used to test the product certifying the test results are equivalent to test method defined by the Green Label criteria. 2.2) Document that compares similiarities and differences in test methods of the applicant s proposed laboratory and the laboratory defined by the Green Label criteria. TGL Page 4/9

5 The product must be certified or passed the standard of the International Standard Organization (ISO); or national standards such as ASTM JIS that is equivalent to or higher than standards of TISI for the relevant product. 6. Compliance verification 6.3 Applicant must present certified document or test results accordng to ISO standards; or natioal standard such as ASTM JIS that is equivalent to or higher than TISI standadrds for the relevant product. NOTE: 1) Test results must be within 1 year from the date of issue on the day the 2) If the applicant desires to present test results report from other equivalent test methods according to the Green Label criteria, the applicant must also hands-in 2 documents along with the application: 2.1) Signed document from the laboratory used to test the product certifying the test results are equivalent to test method defined by the Green Label criteria. 2.2) Document that compares similarities and differences in test methods of the applicant s proposed laboratory and the laboratory defined by the Green Label criteria The manufacturing, transportaion, and post-industrial waste disposal must comply with government acts and regulations. 6.5 Applicant must present evidence that the manufacturing, transportation, and postindustrial waste disposal complies with government acts and regulations. 5. Product-specific criteria 5.1. Compostable plastics products must comply with one of the following criteria below: The product must pass the TISI standard for compostable plastics products (TIS 17088) The product must be certified or passed the international standards such as ISO 17088; or regional standards such as EN 13432; or national standard such as ASTM D 6400; or other equivalent standards. 6. Compliance verification : 6.6. Applicant must present the following documents to pass the criteria 5.1: Applicant must present test results for compostable plastics product to show compliance to TIS standard for compostable plastics; or to international standards such as ISO 17088; or regional standards such as EN 13432; or national standards such as ASTM D 6400; or other equivalent standards Applicant must present certificate for plastic pellets and certified document from plastic pellet manufacturer along with product test results for TGL Page 5/9

6 disintegration during composting, which should comply with international standards such as ISO 17088; or regional standards such as EN 13432; or national standards such as ASTM D 6400; or other equivalent standards Applicant must present certificate of compostable plastics products compliance to international standards such as ISO 17088; or regional standards such as EN 13432; or national standards such as ASTM D 6400; or equivalent standards. NOTE: 1) Certificate and test results must be within 3 years from the date of issue on the day the applicant hands-in the application documents for green label certification. 2) If the applicant desires to present test results report from other equivalent test methods according to the Green Label criteria, the applicant must also hands-in 2 documents along with the application: 2.1) Signed document from the laboratory used to test the product certifying the test results are equivalent to test method defined by the Green Label criteria. 2.2) Document that compares similiarities and differences in test methods of the applicant s laboratory and the laboratory defined by the Green Label criteria The additives below are strictly prohibited in the product manufacturing: Heavy metals such as arsenic, copper, lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium Halogenated organic substances and halogenated organic solvents such as fluoropolymer additives CFC, HCFC, HFC, Methylene Chloride Phthalates such as 1) bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) 2) dibutyl phthalate (DBP) 3) diallyl phthalate (DAP) 4) n-butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) Flame retardants 1) PBB (polybrominated biphenyl) 2) PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ether) 3) Chloroparaffins with carbon atoms in the chain and composed of more than 50% chlorine by weight Substances defined by (EC) No 1272/2008 as follows: 1) H 310 (very toxic in contact with skin) 2) H 351 (limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect) 3) H 350 (may cause cancer) 4) H 340 (may cause genetic defects) 5) H 372 (causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure) 6) H 373 (may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure) 7) H 360 (may damage the unborn child) TGL Page 6/9

7 8) H 361d (suspected of damaging the unborn child) 9) H 341 (suspected of causing genetic defects) 6.8. Manufacturer must submit a declaration letter, signed by the managing director or authorized person with the company stamp, to certify that no prohibited additives are used during manufacturing of compostable plastics products as defined in product-specific critera 5.2. NOTE: Certified document must be within 1 year from the date of issue on the day the 5.3. Packaging Paper used for packaging must be certified with green label for paper product (TGL-8) or passed the verification procedure according to the product-specific criteria for paper product Applicant must present evidence that the product complies with product-specific critiera as follows: Paper used for board surface: applicant must hands-in copy of license to use green label for paper product (TGL-8) or present test results that complies with product-specific criteria for paper product Paper used for currogated board: applicant must hands-in copy of license to use green label for paper product (TGL-8) or present test results that complies with product-specific criteria for paper product. NOTE: Test results must be within 1 year from the date of issue on the day the Plastic packaging must be symbolized by type of plastic used according to TIS 1310 standard for recycled plastic or presence of abbreviations of plastic type according to ISO 1043 or ISO Applicant must submit a declaration letter, signed by the managing director or authorized person with the company stamp, to certify that plastic packaging is symbolized according to TIS 1310 ISO 1043 or ISO Samples of the product parts or pictures of the packaging with symbols identifying plastic type shall be submitted for inspection. NOTE: Certified document must be within 1 year from the date of issue on the day the TGL Page 7/9

8 Color ink or pigments used for printing on the packaging or for labeling on packaging is permitted to have heavy metal such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and hexavelent chromium from impurities and contamination amounted not more than 0.01% (100ppm) of the total weight. 6. Complicance verification: Applicant must present test results for heavy metals in color ink or pigments for printing on packaging or label on packaging according to test method IEC 62321; or international standards (ISO); or acceptable national standards such as ASTM. NOTE: 1) Certified document must be within 1 year from the date of issue on the day the applicant hands-in the application documents for green labe certification. 2) If the applicant desires to present test results report from other equivalent test methods according to the Green Label criteria, the applicant must also hands-in 2 documents along with the application: 2.1) Signed document from the laboratory used to test the product certifying the test results are equivalent to test method defined by the Green Label criteria. 2.2) Document that compares similiarities and differences in test methods of the applicant s laboratory and the laboratory defined by the Green Label criteria. 7. For future review of the standard 7.1 Food packaging product NOTE: 1) Acceptable test results must come from the following laboratories: 1.1) Laboratories approved by the Thai Green Label Board of Committee, Thai Environment Institute. 1.2) Certified laboratories according to TISI general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories TISI (ISO/IEC 17025) 2) Certificate must come from an agency approved by Thai Green Label Project. 3) Additional writing below the Green Label is compulsory: compostable as shown in figure 1. Symbol for Green Label and additional writing below the label must comply with the Graphic Standard Manual of the project. TGL Page 8/9

9 TGL สลายต วได (compostable) Figure 1. Appropriate design for labeling Green Label and additional writing below it. TGL Page 9/9