Two Herma self-adhesive label materials that can be composted at home and in the garden have passed the critical earthworm toxicity test in accordance with the Australian standard AS 5810, which is considered the highest environmental standard for packaging worldwide due to its strict requirements. Herma is represented in the Australian market by Result Group.
The certification was obtained through the DIN CERTCO institute, a subsidiary of TUV Rheinland, and applies in conjunction with the two label materials HERMAextracoat (grade 242) and HERMAtherm Bio (grade 909).
Other elements of the Australian standard comply with the international standard NF T51-800:2015, which means that specific limits for volatile substances, heavy metals and fluorine must not be exceeded. The complete biodegradability, compostability and ecotoxicity was also checked.
The two Herma self-adhesive materials already met these requirements previously, and were therefore already able to bear the ‘compostable in the garden’ label outside of Australia and New Zealand. Now the certification also applies for the two countries.
“This means that Herma offers probably the only self-adhesive materials at present that comply with this standard,” said Dr Stefan Kissling, head of development of Adhesives and Special Coatings for Herma’s Self-Adhesive Materials Division.
“The additional certification also confirms once again the high composting quality of the adhesive 62Q and provides additional assurance for label users, who attach particular importance to sustainable packaging materials.”
