REAL has been working with a range of partners since 2010 to deliver certification schemes in the areas of biogas, bioenergy, and organics recycling. REAL ensures that a range of sector participants are complying with standards, whether EU, UK or GB-wide, relevant to the products and services they produce.
The CMCS is aligned with European and Australian standards for compostable packaging and plastics.
There is increasing desire from companies and the public to find alternatives to conventional plastic. Many new products have been produced claiming to be ‘green’, ‘plastic-free’, ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’. For these products to have the benefits of intended claims, products should be independently certified to an appropriate standard. It should also be clear how the product should be disposed of after use.
The CMCS addresses this by:
- Seeking to replace multiple confusing claims with single UK-wide certification marks
- Ensuring products with our compostable marks have been checked by independent certification experts
- Assigning to each product a unique identifier, which can be searched via our website to check the claims
- Policing the use of our marks and monitoring of compostable products placed on the UK market*
- Introducing guidance to consumers on treatment (disposal) after use
* When products are brought to the scheme owner's attention with claims of compostability, but no independent certification, the producer will be contacted to encourage application to the CMCS.