TAGS: Sustainability / Natural Adhesives
HERMA’s two self-adhesive materials HERMAextracoat (grade 242) and HERMAtherm Bio (grade 909) with the adhesive 62Q have now also passed the critical earthworm toxicity test in accordance with the Australian standard AS 5810. It is considered the highest environmental standard for packaging worldwide due to its strict requirements.
Australian Standard AS 5810 from DIN CERTCO Institute
Soil toxicity is excluded with the earthworm test in accordance with the Australian standard. Compost worms (lat.
Eisenia fetida), one of the most common types of earthworms in Europe, and white worms (
Enchytraeus albidus), often used as live food, are used as “testers”. If after 14 days there was a difference of more than 10 percent in the morbidity or average weight of the surviving worms between the sample compost and the pure compost, this criterion was not met.
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This means that HERMA offers self-adhesive materials at present that comply with this standard,” says Dr. Stefan Kissling, head of development of adhesives and special coatings for HERMA's self-adhesive materials division. The certification was obtained through the DIN CERTCO Institute, a subsidiary of TÜV Rheinland.
Other elements of the Australian standard comply with the international standard NF T51-800:2015. This means that specific limits for volatile substances, heavy metals and fluorine must not be exceeded. The complete biodegradability, compostability and ecotoxicity was also checked.
Assurance of Sustainable Packaging
The two HERMA self-adhesive materials already met these requirements previously and were therefore already able to bear the label "DIN geprüft – gartenkompostierbar" (“DIN tested – compostable in the garden”) – at least outside of Australia and New Zealand. Now the certification also applies for these two countries.
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However, 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,” said Dr. Stefan Kissling from HERMA.
Source: HERMA