ENSO Bottles - Certification and Validation Information

What is the ASTM standardized testing methods for biodegradation?

What's the difference between the ASTM D 6400 and ASTM D 5511/ASTM D5526 tests?

Which ASTM biodegradable testing standards have verified the performance of ENSO enhanced plastics?

Does the ENSO Bottle meet ASTM 6400 standards?

Who performed the 3rd party biodegradation testing on ENSO bottles?

What is a TDS (Technical Data Sheet) and MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet)?

Is the ENSO material FDA compliant?

What analytical test can be used to show the ENSO is present in PET bottles?

Has toxicology and migration testing been performed on bottles enhanced with ENSO?

Are ENSO enhanced bottles certified recyclable?

What recyclability tests have been performed on ENSO enhanced bottles?

Have CO2 migration tests been performed to verify that high pressure carbonation will not be a problem?

• D6400 Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics – Defines the testing parameters for performing the D5338 Test Method
• D5338 Standard Test Method for Determining Aerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials Under Controlled Composting Conditions – Standard test method for aerobic biodegradation for industrial compost environments.
• D5511 Standard Test Method for Determining Anaerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials Under High-Solids Anaerobic Digestion Conditions – Standard test method for anaerobic biodegradation for landfill environments.
• D5526 Standard Test Method for Determining Anaerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials Under Accelerated Landfill Conditions – Standard test method for anaerobic biodegradation in active landfill environments.

The ASTM D 6400 is a standard specification focused on testing and validating compostable plastics, passing this standard specification will validate that the compostable plastic will be acceptable to professional composting environments. It is not a validation that the compostable plastics will biodegrade in home composting environments. The ASTM D5511 and ASTM D5526 are tests to verify the ability of a plastic product to biodegrade in anaerobic conditions such as would be found in different types of landfills.

Plastic products enhanced with the ENSO material have accelerated biodegradability in both aerobic and anaerobic environments. With the customary disposal method of plastic bottles being either recycled or landfill we feel the most applicable test methods would be for anaerobic (landfill) environments. We therefore test ENSO enhanced plastics under the scrutiny of the ASTM D5511 and ASTM D5526 which are standard test methods for determining anaerobic biodegradation of plastic materials.

ENSO accelerates the natural biodegradation of plastics in biologically active landfills and anaerobic digesters as validated by independent certified laboratories using ASTM International test methods (ASTM D5526 & ASTM D5511).

Independent 3rd party testing has shown up to 24.7% biodegradation within 160 days in optimized conditions. Actual rate of biodegradation will vary dependent upon environmental conditions and the biological activity of microorganisms surrounding the plastic.

Plastics enhanced with ENSO have accelerated biodegradability in anaerobic environments. The customary disposal method of plastic bottles being either recycled or landfill we feel the most applicable test methods would be for anaerobic (landfill) environments. ENSO enhanced bottles are not designed to biodegrade in the timeframe required for professional composting facilities so the ASTM D6400 is not applicable for ENSO plastics.

Plastics which are engineered to biodegrade in professional composting facilities are much weaker and do not provide the barrier properties that would be desirable for the beverage industry.

ENSO accelerates the natural biodegradation of plastics in biologically active landfills and anaerobic digesters as validated by independent certified laboratories using ASTM International test methods (ASTM D5526 & ASTM D5511).

Independent 3rd party testing has shown up to 24.7% biodegradation within 160 days in optimized conditions. Actual rate of biodegradation will vary dependent upon environmental conditions and the biological activity of microorganisms surrounding the plastic.

ENSO enhanced plastics have been tested at various independent, certified laboratories across the US, including NSF(Recognized by regulatory agencies at the local, state, federal and international level), EDEN Laboratories, Zia Labs, Northeast Laboratories (accredited by the FDA, EPA and the Department of Defense and ISO certified) and EDS Groups Labs (ISTA Certified).

These are documents that cover technical aspects of the ENSO material as well as the chemical handling and safety of the materials. ENSO can provide you with these documents for the ENSO additive.

Yes, all additive components contained in the ENSO additive are covered under FDA CFR title 21Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). In addition, Keller and Heckman a large FDA verification firm has validated the ENSO additive to meet all the FDA requirements and have provided a short letter to confirm the verification. ENSO Bottles can provide this letter upon request.

A basic IR spec scan will provide the data to validate that the ENSO additive is truly in the PET bottle. Also, the bottles that have the ENSO material will have a slight frostiness on the neck and base of the bottle once blown. The oriented areas (the body of the bottle) will remain clear.

Migration (extended leaching) testing has been performed on bottles enhanced with ENSO to verify that there is no migration per FDA standards.

Currently there are no recognized standard certification programs for recyclability. ENSO has performed various ASTM tests to verify the physical properties are the same for recycled ENSO enhanced bottles as compared to standard PET bottles. These test results show no significant change to the physical properties of ENSO enhanced bottles compared with standard PET.

In addition, ENSO Bottles believes it is important to engage recyclers to give them the opportunity to handle and test ENSO enhanced bottles. We have provided a number of independent recyclers with samples of ENSO enhanced bottles which have been subjected to their various in-house testing methods. All recyclers have indicated that they do not notice any change to the PET physical characteristics.

ENSO Bottles continues to work with recyclers and industry organizations to inform the industry about the technology and to support solutions which benefit the recycling industry as a whole. We are also working with several agencies to create a certification program for the recyclability of biodegradable plastics.

The following tests have been performed on ENSO enhanced bottles to verify recyclability. These are standard tests used to determine the quality of the PET material. These tests are suggested as part of the American Post-consumer Recycling Critical Guidance document.

• Haze and Transmission via ASTM D 1003B
• Intrinsic Viscosity via ASTM D 4603
• Acetaldehyde via ASTM F 2013
• Fluorescence Visual
• Visual Black Specks and Gels

Yes. CO2 migration testing has been completed and show a slight INCREASE in the barrier performance of PET when enhanced with ENSO. Copies of the test results are available directly from ENSO.

ENSO Bottles, LLC

Phone: 1 (866)-936-3676 or 602-639-4228

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