Beta Analytic was selected to be an Advisory Partner to the European research project Knowledge Based Bio-based Products’ Pre-Standardization (KBBPPS), to provide expertise on biobased content testing.
KBBPPS was funded by the European Commission from August 2012 to July 2015 under the EU’s Seventh Framework Program for Research and was coordinated by the Netherlands Standardization Institute. The objective of the project was to carry out preliminary research for the development of test standards and certifications that promote the uptake of biobased products in Europe.
The establishment of standard test methods for biobased content testing is key to the success of the industry because it allows manufacturers to back up their claims effectively, helps consumers to correctly identify and compare biobased products, and provides reliable means for regulators and downstream users to verify biobased content of materials.
As Advisory Partner to KBBPPS, the Beta laboratory has had the honor of contributing technical know-how on carbon-14 testing in addition to providing ISO/IEC 17025: 2017-accredited analytical services to stakeholders as part of the round-robin testing.
The results of KBBPPS have and will continue to inform the ongoing work at the European Standardization Committee. CEN, the entity that sets benchmark test methods for Europe, most recently published CEN/TS 16640 for determining the biobased carbon content of products using the radiocarbon method.
Beta’s participation as Advisory Partner in the latest EC standardization initiative KBBPPS was a natural choice. Beta Analytic has been the world leader in radiocarbon measurements since 1979 and pioneered the application and standardization of carbon-14 as a critical measurement tool for biobased products in the United States in the early 2000s. This led to the development of the ASTM D6866 method for biobased content testing as the basis for the USDA Biopreferred® Program. Beta has also served as technical adviser to all the major standardization initiatives in the industry globally including the CEN method 16137, the method used to measure the biobased content of plastics and other polymers.
The expertise and commitment Beta has contributed to KBBPPS project in Europe has further established Beta’s position as the leading laboratory worldwide for biobased content testing using the carbon 14 method. By providing expert advice to the European standardization project, Beta Analytic’s hope is that stakeholders recognize the high-value proposition the laboratory offers to the European and global biobased industries.
Beta Analytic is an ISO/IEC 2017:17025-accredited radiocarbon laboratory headquartered in Miami, Florida with international offices in Europe, Japan, China, Australia, Korea, and Taiwan. The lab offers high-quality biobased carbon content measurements using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) in 7 business days or less with online reporting, technical support, and quality assurance reports included. A priority service is available for results required in 4 business days or less. Customer service is available in English, Chinese, French, German, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Contact the lab at info@betalabservices.com for more information.
Beta Analytic is not affiliated with ASTM, the USDA, CEN or the EC.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 7th, 2015 and is filed under Beta Analytic Updates, Biobased Products, Biobased Regulations .