"Biodegradable" is not one property and not one claim. It hides three separate questions: what the pad is made from, under what conditions it breaks down, and what you are entitled to print on the pack. A pad that composts in an industrial facility at 58 °C is not the same product as one that breaks down in a garden heap, and a biobased pad is not automatically either. This guide separates the three questions and sets out what to specify for each claim.
1. Three questions inside one word
- Feedstock. What the material is made from — fossil, plant or a blend. This is a sourcing fact and says nothing about disposal.
- Disposal route. Where it is designed to end up: industrial composting, home composting, recycling, or general waste.
- Claim. What you may state on the pack, in which market, backed by which scheme.
Buyers usually ask about the first and get quoted on the second. Decide the disposal route you are actually offering before anything else.
2. The conditions decide the answer
Biodegradation is a function of environment, not of a material label.
- Industrial composting runs hot and controlled — around 58 °C with managed moisture and aeration. The European standard is EN 13432; the US counterpart is ASTM D6400, usually assessed through BPI. They are peers, but passing one does not automatically give you the other.
- Home composting runs at ambient temperature with far less control, and takes far longer. It is a much harder bar — most materials that pass the industrial test do not pass the home one. The relevant schemes include OK Compost HOME, and the standards derived from it such as AS 5810 in Australia, NF T 51-800 in France and EN 17427.
- Recycling is a separate claim with its own requirements, and it can conflict with compostability. A pad usually cannot be both in the same market.
- Biobased describes the feedstock. A biobased pad can still be non-biodegradable, and a fossil-based one can be compostable.
3. What to specify, by claim
Read down to the claim you intend to make.
| Claim | Conditions required | What you may state | What to request | Markets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial compostable | controlled facility, around 58 °C | compostable in industrial composting | the scheme and the assessment behind it, plus the material composition | EU (EN 13432), US (ASTM D6400), and equivalents |
| Home compostable | ambient heap, longer timeframe | home compostable | assessment against a home-composting scheme, not an industrial one | OK Compost HOME, AS 5810, NF T 51-800, EN 17427 |
| Recyclable | a collection stream that accepts it | recyclable where facilities exist | the material stream it fits, and the local infrastructure | market-specific |
| Biobased | none for disposal | made from plant-based material | the biobased content and how it was determined | any; a feedstock claim only |
The biodegradable absorbent pads range is specified against one of these routes rather than against the word "biodegradable". A pad is also a multi-layer construction: top sheet, core, backing and adhesive each have to satisfy the route you claim, or the claim does not hold for the finished pad. Where the pad is used under meat, the food contact documentation still applies on top of the disposal claim.
4. The EU position has just moved
Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, applies from 12 August 2026. Two changes matter for pads.
- The definition now includes anaerobic digestion. Compostable packaging is no longer defined only by aerobic composting, which changes what a compliant material has to demonstrate.
- The standard is under revision. The current EN 13432:2000 cannot on its own support a presumption of conformity while that revision is pending. Until the revised standard is published, it is guidance rather than a settled basis.
Separately, from 12 February 2028, specific items — including fruit and vegetable adhesive labels — must meet compostability requirements under controlled industrial conditions. If your pack falls in that group, the disposal route is no longer a choice. Buyers specifying the fruit and vegetable absorbent pads range for the EU are already working to a disposal route rather than a material preference.
FAQ
Is a biobased pad automatically biodegradable?
No. Biobased describes where the carbon came from; biodegradability describes what happens to it in a specific environment. The two are independent.
Can one pad be both compostable and recyclable?
Rarely in practice. Compostable materials generally do not fit existing recycling streams, and claiming both in the same market usually fails one of them.
Does an industrial composting result cover a home composting claim?
No. Home composting is the harder test and needs its own assessment. Assuming one from the other is the most common over-claim in this area.
What should I ask a supplier for?
The disposal route the pad is designed for, the scheme it was assessed against, the material composition, and whether the claim covers the whole pad or only part of it.
Browse the range
Start from the fresh absorbent pads overview, or the pads used for fruit, where compostability requirements already attach to the label in some markets. Send the disposal route you intend to offer and the destination market, and a construction can be matched before samples are issued.