Compostable seedling (EN 13432)
What it looks like
A stylised two-leafed seedling sprouting from a curved line, usually in a circle. Marketed as the Seedling mark or OK compost INDUSTRIAL.
What it means
EN 13432 requires 90% disintegration within twelve weeks and 90% biodegradation within six months under industrial conditions, which means sustained temperatures around 55–60 °C with controlled moisture and aeration. A garden compost heap rarely exceeds 30 °C and will not do it. Landfill, where oxygen is absent, will not do it either. And an item that carries this mark must still reach an industrial composter, which large parts of the world have no collection route for, so in practice much certified-compostable packaging is incinerated or landfilled. In a recycling bin it is a contaminant.
Defined by EN 13432 / ASTM D6400. Where a symbol differs between standards, the difference is described above rather than resolved — both versions are in circulation on real labels.
Other packaging and recycling symbols
| Symbol | Means |
|---|---|
| Mobius loop (chasing arrows) | The producer claims the item can be recycled — not that it will be, and not that your council collects it. |
| Mobius loop with a percentage | The pack contains that percentage of recycled material. |
| Green Dot (Der Grüne Punkt) | The producer paid into a national packaging recovery scheme. It does not mean the pack is recyclable, recycled, or made of recycled material. |
| Tidyman | Dispose of this thoughtfully. It has nothing to do with recycling. |
| Glass recycling (bottle bank) symbol | Take this glass to a bottle bank or glass collection. |
| Aluminium recycling (alu) | The item is aluminium and can be recycled as aluminium. |
| Recyclable steel | The item is steel — usually tinplate — and is separated magnetically for recycling. |
| Home compostable | Certified to break down in an ordinary garden compost heap at ambient temperature. |
| FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) | The wood or paper comes from forests audited against the Forest Stewardship Council standard. |
| PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) | The wood or paper is certified under a national forestry scheme that PEFC endorses. |
| OPRL — Recycle / Don't Recycle (UK) | Whether this specific component is collected by most UK councils. |
| Triman (France) | In France, this product or packaging is subject to sorting rules and must not go in the general waste. |
| Estimated sign (℮) | The quantity is an average across the batch, checked under the EU average-quantity system. |
Common questions
- What does the compostable seedling (en 13432) symbol mean?
- Certified to break down in an industrial composting facility — not in a home heap, a bin or the environment.
- What does it look like?
- A stylised two-leafed seedling sprouting from a curved line, usually in a circle. Marketed as the Seedling mark or OK compost INDUSTRIAL.
Related pages
- Home compostable Certified to break down in an ordinary garden compost heap at ambient temperature.
- Plastic 7 marked PLA — polylactic acid Polylactic acid — a compostable bioplastic made from fermented plant sugars, usually maize.
- Plastic 7 — OTHER Anything that is not codes 1 to 6 — a catch-all, not a material.
- Mobius loop (chasing arrows) The producer claims the item can be recycled — not that it will be, and not that your council collects it.
- Mobius loop with a percentage The pack contains that percentage of recycled material.
- Green Dot (Der Grüne Punkt) The producer paid into a national packaging recovery scheme. It does not mean the pack is recyclable, recycled, or made of recycled material.
- Tidyman Dispose of this thoughtfully. It has nothing to do with recycling.
- Glass recycling (bottle bank) symbol Take this glass to a bottle bank or glass collection.
- Aluminium recycling (alu) The item is aluminium and can be recycled as aluminium.
- Recyclable steel The item is steel — usually tinplate — and is separated magnetically for recycling.
- Home compostable Certified to break down in an ordinary garden compost heap at ambient temperature.
- FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) The wood or paper comes from forests audited against the Forest Stewardship Council standard.
- PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) The wood or paper is certified under a national forestry scheme that PEFC endorses.
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place