ISO 18606:2013

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 18606
First edition
2013-01-15
Packaging and the environment —
Organic recycling
Emballage et environnement — Recyclage organique
Reference number
©
ISO 2013
© ISO 2013
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ii © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 2
4 Principle . 3
5 Basic requirements . 3
5.1 Control of constituents . 3
5.2 Assessment . 3
5.3 Exemptions . 4
6 Detailed requirements . 4
6.1 General . 4
6.2 Characterization of the packaging . 5
6.3 Ultimate biodegradation . 5
6.4 Disintegration . 6
6.5 No adverse effect on ability of compost to support plant growth . 6
7 Declaration of results . 7
8 Test report . 7
Annex A (normative) Maximum concentrations of regulated metals and other substances
hazardous to the environment . 8
Annex B (normative) Determination of ecotoxic effects to higher plants .9
Annex C (informative) Flow Chart .10
Annex D (informative) Recommended assessment checklist for meeting the requirements of this
International Standard .14
Annex E (informative) Examples of packaging suitable for organic recycling .15
Bibliography .18
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting.
Publication as an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies
casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 18606 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 122, Packaging, Subcommittee SC 4, Packaging
and environment.
iv © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Packaging plays a critical role in almost every industry, every sector, and every supply chain. Appropriate
packaging is essential to prevent loss of goods and as a result decrease impact on the environment.
Effective packaging makes a positive contribution towards achieving a sustainable society by, e.g.:
a) meeting consumer needs and expectations for the protection of goods, safety, handling, and information;
b) efficiently using resources and limiting environmental impact;
c) saving costs in the distribution and merchandising of goods.
An environmental assessment of packaging should include the manufacturing and distribution system,
the wastage of packaging material and goods, the relevant collection systems, as well as recovery or
disposal operations. This group of ISO standards and supporting reports provides a set of procedures
which aim to:
d) reduce environmental impact;
e) support innovation in product, packaging, and the supply chain;
f) avoid undue restrictions on the use of packaging;
g) prevent barriers and restrictions to trade.
A package should be designed to provide a number of functions for users and producers such as:
containment, protection, information, convenience, unitization, handling, delivery, or presentation of
goods. A major role of packaging is prevention of damage to or loss of goods. (See ISO 18601 Annex A for
a list of the functions of packaging.)
ISO 18601 defines the interrelationships within the family of ISO standards which cover the environmental
impact of packaging throughout its life cycle (see Figure 1). These standards will help define whether
the selected packaging can be optimized and whether the packaging needs to be modified to ensure it
can be reused or recovered after use.
Third-party certification is not required to demonstrate the requirements of these standards are met.
There are different methods to which public claims on the environmental attributes of packaging are
discussed. Some of these are technical aspects on reuse or recovery, others relate to access by the
population to reuse or recovery systems or the amount of packaging placed on the market for recovery.
This series of standards addresses the technical aspects of the packaging. They do not address the
requirements of ISO 14021 needed to support a claim or label.
This International Standard does not use the term “and/or” but instead the term “or” is used as an
inclusive disjunction, meaning one or the other or both.
ISO 18601
Packaging and the environment – General

requirements for the use of ISO standards in
the
ield of packaging and the environment

ISO 18602
Packaging and the environment – Optimization
of the packaging system
OPTIMIZE
Annex C
Assessment and minimization of substances or
mixtures hazardous to the environment
REUSE
ISO 18603
Packaging and the
Reuse
Decision
environment – Reuse
End of functional life
RECOVERY
ISO 18604 ISO 18605 ISO 18606
Packaging and the
Packaging and the Packaging and the

environment –
environment – environment –
Material recycling Energy recovery Organic recycling
Figure 1 — Relationship of the Packaging and environment standards
The purpose of packaging is the containment, protection, handling, delivery, and presentation of
products. In order to save resources and minimize waste, the whole system in which the packaging takes
part should be optimized. This includes prevention as well as reuse and recycling of used packaging.
Organic recycling by industrial aerobic composting or anaerobic digestion coupled with composting is
an option for reducing the need for final disposal of used packaging while increasing the options for its
recycling. This International Standard defines the standard specification to be met for packaging to be
recovered by organic recycling.
Organic recycling, organic recovery, and biological recycling are interchangeably used to indicate
biological waste treatment processes applied to used packaging to produce compost (in industrial
composting plants) or compost and biogas (in anaerobic digestors). Examples of packaging suitable for
organic recycling are provided in Annex E.
This International Standard presents a framework for self-assessment to determine whether the organic
recycling has been met.
vi © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
Recovery
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 18606:2013(E)
Packaging and the environment — Organic recycling
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies procedures and requirements for packaging that are suitable for
organic recycling. Packaging is considered as recoverable by organic recycling only if all the individual
components meet the requirements.
Therefore, packaging is not considered recoverable by organic recycling if only some of the components
meet the requirements laid down in this International Standard. However, if the components can be easily,
physically separated before disposal, then the physically separated components can be individually
considered for organic recycling.
This International Standard is applicable to organic recycling of used packaging but does not address
regulations that exist regarding the recoverability of any residual packaged goods.
This International Standard does not provide information on requirements for the biodegradability of
used packaging which ends up in the soil environment as litter, because littering is not considered as a
recovery option. This International Standard is also not applicable to biological treatment undertaken
in small installations by householders.
For each of the packaging components the following four aspects are addressed:
a) biodegradation;
b) disintegration during biological waste treatment process (i.e. composting);
c) negative effects on the biological process;
d) negative effects on the quality of the resulting compost, including the presence of high levels of
regulated metals and other substances hazardous to the environment.
This International Standard establishes the requirements for packaging suitable for organic recycling.
NOTE “Organically recoverable”, “compostable”, or “compostable packaging in municipal and industrial
composting facilities” or “biodegradable during composting” are expressions considered to be equivalent to
organically recyclable for the purposes of this International Standard.
The procedure for applying this International Standard is contained in ISO 18601.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 14851, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in an aqueous
medium — Method by measuring the oxygen demand in a closed respirometer
ISO 14852, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in an aqueous
medium — Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide
ISO 14855-1, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled
composting cond
...