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UL1497 - Biodegradability and Compostability Validation

Validate the sustainability claims about your materials or products with the new UL 1497 Environmental Claim Validation Procedure (ECVP) for Biodegradability and Compostability.

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Differentiate your materials or products

Manufacturers and suppliers across various product categories are seeking ways to adopt sustainable practices and many are focusing on product circularity. However, to differentiate in the market, manufacturers also need a way to independently validate their efforts.

The UL 1497 Environmental Claim Validation Procedure (ECVP) for Biodegradability and Compostability can help customers validate sustainability claims about their materials or products based on degradation under managed waste disposal methods.

Reliable support for a circular, sustainable future

A circular mindset to sustainability moves beyond processing resources into products that are used and then disposed of at the end of their useful life. Instead, circularity focuses on eliminating waste and pollution during design and production, reducing the impact of products at end-of-life and supporting more resilient economic systems that become less susceptible to resource and material shortages. By considering both how their materials or products are made and how they complete their life cycle, manufacturers and suppliers are balancing an increased focus on environmental impact with the need to deliver the quality and safety their customers expect.

UL Solutions has already contributed to the development of more than 80 environmental testing and auditing procedures to validate environmental claims, and UL1497 ECVP expands our offerings to address organic/natural materials. For a material or product to meet UL 1497, it must be composed of biobased material according to UL 9798, the ECVP for Biobased Content. This composition will allow it to properly biodegrade, greatly reducing the mismanagement of waste which can become an environmental hazard.

Embrace product circularity with UL Solutions

UL Solutions helps you substantiate your claims, achieve product circularity and demonstrate your commitment to an environmentally prosperous future.

There are several benefits associated with the Validation, including:

  • Recognition in industry and governmental green purchasing policies, raising visibility among key stakeholders and driving marketplace demand for your products.
  • Ability to display the UL Environmental Claim Validation Mark, a globally recognized Mark on your packaging and marketing materials.
  • Inclusion on the UL SPOT database, a complimentary online tool that allows purchasers to identify products with sustainable attributes certified by an independent third party.

We can validate all product categories that contain biobased materials, for biodegradability and compostability, including:

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Building materials

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Chemicals

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Cleaning

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Cookware and home products

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Electronics

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Furniture/furnishings

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Juvenile products

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Packaging

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Paper

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Plastics

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Toys

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Softlines/textile

UL 9798 ECVP can be used in verifying the biobased content to meet the requirements of UL 1497. The tests required for UL 1497 require the same tests as UL 9798, as well as additional ones depending on the disposal method. If a customer can achieve UL 1497, they also qualify for UL 9798. Customers need to have a minimum biobased content of 50%, which UL 9798 will validate for them. Achieving UL 1497 is the natural next step for products that are made from organic/naturally materials.
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