What is Testfakta Bio-based?
Testfakta Bio-based is a voluntary programme for certifying and labelling bio-based products. The purpose is to promote use of materials based on renewable resources rather than fossil ones. Products that meet the requirements may bear the Testfakta Bio-based symbol. The label also shows how much of the product is bio-based. Read more about the label.
There are already various environmental certification schemes. Is another necessary?
Testfakta Bio-based is the only environmental certification for renewable content that is available for all types of products, rather than just packaging materials. Consumers get a chance to compare various products in terms of bio-based material content, while manufacturers can to substantiate their claims about their products’ environmental properties through independent certification.
Testfakta Bio-based does not supersede existing environmental forms of certification. In combination with other eco-labels, however, Testfakta Bio-based improves consumers’ scope for making sustainable choices.
What does certification involve?
The certification process begins with an application from the manufacturer or retailer, along with technical documentation and data on the product’s bio-based composition. The information in the documentation is reviewed and the product’s bio-based composition is verified and defined by chemical analysis at independent laboratories. The proportion of bio-based content is then stated on the Testfakta Bio-based symbol.
If the product meets the criteria, the company is allowed to label the product with Testfakta Bio-based, or Testfakta Bio-based from Plant if the product consists solely of plant-based material. The certification is valid for three years. During the certification period, spot checks are made on products in the market. Read more about what certification involves here.
What is a bio-based product?
A bio-based product is manufactured wholly or partly from biomass (not fossil raw materials such as oil and coal). Biomass can be plant raw materials derived from forestry, agriculture and aquaculture, for example, but also animal raw materials such as slaughterhouse waste and by-products from farming and the food industry.
A 100% bio-based product means that all the component material, except water and minerals, comes from renewable sources. In an 80% bio-based product, 20% of all the material excluding water and minerals comes from fossil sources.
What does the Bio-based from Plant label mean?
Bio-based products derived solely from plant raw materials (containing no animal-based raw materials or by-products) are labelled with a special symbol: Bio-based from plant.
Products that consist wholly or partly of bio-based material represent a means of avoiding fossil raw materials. Choosing bio-based alternatives thus contributes to a transition towards a bio-based economy and, in the long term, a fossil-free society.
Opting for a renewable raw material is not, however, enough to make a product sustainable. It is also important to consider environmental impact that arises in, for example, cultivation and production of biomass. Testfakta Bio-based requires compliance with legislation on environmental and health protection and sustainable biomass production without adverse effects on food supply.
Criteria for certification also include product performance. Where a product type has a clear, measurable function or effect, evidence of the product’s performance must be obtained.
How do you measure bio-based content?
The method used for measuring bio-based content is called Carbon-14 analysis or Radiocarbon Dating. By measuring the amount of Carbon-14 (C14) remaining in a material or product, the age composition of the organic coal can be determined.
Carbon-14 (C14) is a carbon isotope present in all living materials. Carbon-14 originates in the atmosphere and reacts with oxygen in the air to form carbon dioxide (CO2). When the carbon dioxide reaches earth, it is taken up by plants via the photosynthesis. C14 is weakly radioactive and gradually fades away by radioactive decay. The radioactive decay is compensated by the continuous uptake of new carbon dioxide, leaving the amount C14 constant in all living plants. When a plant dies, the uptake of carbon dioxide (and C14) stops and the loss from radioactive decay is no longer compensated. Eventually, after more than 50 thousand years, all the C14 in the dead material will have disappeared.
How are inorganic components considered in the evaluation?
The Testfakta Bio-based label reports only organic bio-based carbon as a percentage of total organic carbon. Water and other inorganic components, such as carbonates, are eliminated before calculating the bio-based percentage.
Are bio-based products better than others?
Products based wholly or partly on bio-based materials represent an opportunity to avoid fossil raw materials. Choosing a bio-based option thus promotes a transition to a bio-based economy and, in the long run, a fossil-free society.
Opting for a renewable raw material is not, however, enough to make a product sustainable. Considering the environmental impact that arises in, for example, cultivation and production of biomass is also important. Testfakta Bio-based requires compliance with legislation on environmental and health protection and sustainable biomass production without adverse effects on food supply.
Criteria for certification also include product performance. Where a product type has a clear, measurable function or effect, evidence of the product’s performance must be obtained.
What are the requirements for certified products?
Only products with bio-based content (renewable material) that exceeds a certain proportion of the total product content may be certified and labelled as Testfakta Bio-based. The minimum percentage required for certification varies from one product category to another.
The bio-based content must have been produced in an environmentally sustainable way, and this production may not adversely affect food supply.
Testfakta Bio-based also sets requirements for the product’s performance: certified products must function satisfactorily.
Which products are certified?
All types of products based on organic materials (carbon containing materials), except food and feed products, can be certified - provided that they meet the Testfakta Bio-based certification requirements.
How are certification and labelling financed?
The company pays a charge for the product to undergo certification, including analysis of the proportion of bio-based content. If the product meets the criteria, the company pays an annual charge for the right to use the Testfakta Bio-based label.
May a certified product contain palm oil or residuals from the palm-oil industry?
The sustainability criteria for certification according to Testfakta Bio-based comply with the guidelines issued by the RSPO (the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). This means that all palm oil must be RSPO-certified.
The RSPO works for fair employment conditions, reduced social conflicts and protection of valuable forests. No sites may be cleared for new plantations in what remains of untouched rainforest and other important ecosystems.
Which organisations are responsible for the certification?
Testfakta is in charge of developing criteria for certification and communication to the market. It is also Testfakta that issues the Testfakta Bio-based certificate. Testfakta Bio-based cooperates with the independent, state-owned laboratory group RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden), where RISE, on assignment from Testfakta Bio-based, is responsible for evaluating whether a product meets the certification criteria and in connection with this also in charge of chemical analysis to determine products’ bio-based content.
Who checks whether the certification keeps its promises?
Testfakta Bio-based Europe AB in cooperation with the independent, state-owned RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB. Testfakta is in charge of developing criteria for certification and marketing. It is also Testfakta that issues the Testfakta Bio-based certificate. RISE evaluates whether a product meets the certification criteria, and is also in charge of chemical analysis to determine products’ bio-based content. The Testfakta Bio-based certificate is issued based on the results from RISE evaluation and technical analysis.
In addition, market checks and spot checks are carried out to ensure that the product does not change during the three years for which the certification is valid. This guarantees that, throughout the certification period, the product meets the requirements for quality, performance and bio-based material content.
Who is behind Testfakta Bio-based?
The Testfakta Bio-based certification programme is a collaboration between Testfakta and the state laboratory group RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. Testfakta Bio-based Europe AB is a wholly owned company in the Testfakta group.
The Testfakta group is engaged in independent testing and research, and specialises in laboratory tests of consumer products. The group performs tests and investigations for the media, manufacturing industry and government agencies.
What is the purpose of Testfakta Bio-based?
The overall purpose of Testfakta Bio-based is to promote the trend toward a fossil-free economy, by helping to boost demand for bio-based products. As a result, in turn, higher proportions of renewable raw materials are used in existing products and more bio-based options are developed.
Is Testfakta Bio-based a profit-seeking organisation?
Testfakta Bio-based Europe AB is a wholly owned company in the Testfakta group. The purpose of every part of the Testfakta group is to spread information that guides the consumer in the market place. Any surpluses from the different parts of the Testfakta business are reinvested in development of new test protocols, development of bio-based certification criteria for new product groups and production of consumer guiding tests.
To contribute to reduction of global warming, Testfakta Bio-based allocates 3% of its license revenue to various projects involving efforts to preserve the world’s forested areas.
In 2019, this money is going to the organisation WeForest.org.
