Bio-based or Biodegradable – Which is best for your business?

As a society, we are at a crucial stage when it comes to sustainability and taking measures to protect our environment. With the beginnings of PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) coming into effect, businesses are starting to explore the available options to make their packaging compliant.

With this change, there are an increasing number of packaging suppliers heavily focusing on the terms “bio-based” and “biodegradable”, but what do these terms actually mean, and what does adopting them mean for your business?

Terminology Breakdown

Product manufacturers need to be very careful in their product claims, especially when it comes to sustainability benefits. Some phrases and terms are often used to upsell a product, without thinking about the consequences involved with mislabelling a feature or benefit. Let’s break down some of the most common terms:

Bio-based – Bio-based materials are made from biological, and most importantly, renewable resources. These materials come in the form of crops, algae and forest residues to name a few, and replenish naturally over time, unlike fossil fuels which take millions of years to form.

However, it is important to note that bio-based materials are not always biodegradable. Many are combined with other materials to form a substance or chemical that is much easier to use in production processes, but that isn’t biodegradable.

Biodegradable – Materials or products that are biodegradable are designed to break down into simpler substances under specified conditions.

Although a product can claim to be biodegradable, these claims should be backed up by a certification body for authenticity. Failure to do so can be classed as greenwashing (making misleading or exaggerated claims about a product’s environmental benefits). Some of the main bodies that verify a product’s biodegradability are BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) and ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) verified testing labs for North America, TÜV Austria in Europe, and ABA (Australasian Bioplastics Association) widely used in Australia and New Zealand.

A fully certified biodegradable product will break down under clearly specified conditions and within a certain timeframe, in accordance with the certification.

It’s important to remember that bio-based focuses on the material’s origin, whereas biodegradable focuses on how the material breaks down. Products can be one, both or neither.

How these benefit your business

Introducing bio-based or biodegradable materials where suitable is a good start to becoming more eco-conscious and reducing your footprint on the environment.

Choosing to use bio-based products in your products or packaging can help to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels. Additionally, products made from bio-based materials can have a lower carbon footprint than those made with fossil fuels, due to their absorption of CO₂ during processes like photosynthesis.

Biodegradable products can be made from bio-based materials, but their main selling point is the reduction in environmental pollution at the end of their life cycle.

Although choosing bio-based products helps reduce the use of non-renewable materials, businesses should still consider whether the final product meets relevant PPWR requirements, including recyclability, waste reduction and end-of-life performance. Using certified biodegradable products may help support compliance strategies where appropriate.

The Power Adhesive Solution

At Power, we have recently updated our biodegradable hot melt range to cover nearly all aspects of bonding in the packaging sector.

Tecbond 214B, 110B-PR, 902B-PL, 351B-PR and 355B-PR have all been formulated to biodegrade at the end of their life cycle, leaving behind non-harmful products with no microplastics. Each formulation has been tested to and complies with ASTM D6400 and EN 13432. These are US and EU standards specifying how products must biodegrade in industrial composting conditions, with EN 13432 also covering soil pollution and eco-toxicity.

The degradation process begins upon exposure to oxygen, and UV light. Together, these elements will initiate the breakdown of the long-chain polymers within the adhesive. Once exposed to both these elements, only oxygen is required to continue the breakdown. This process can be accelerated by introducing heat. Once the long-chain polymers have been broken down, they can be consumed by micro-organisms in the same way as natural waste.

Each grade has been designed to work in specific working environments, with Tecbond 214B being the first, fully-certified shaped biodegradable hot melt, that also contains 45% bio-based materials, ideal for customers looking for the best of both worlds.

For a more detailed breakdown on all of our biodegradable hot melts, visit the biodegradable page on our website.

Conclusion

Ultimately, choosing between bio-based and biodegradable materials depends on the intended application, the product’s full life cycle, and the end-of-life route available to the customer. Bio-based materials can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels, while certified biodegradable materials can support more responsible disposal.