Vincotte has awarded its first OK Biobased four-star rating to a product with 99% biobased content. NatureWorks received the rating for all 40 grades of its Ingeo biopolymer resins, which are used in the plastics and fiber industries. According to Vincotte, the four-star rating is in recognition of Ingeo’s renewable carbon content.
The quantity of renewable carbon present in any given product is measured via a standard analytical method called ASTM D6866, which measures the biobased content versus the fossil content of a material by carbon-14 analysis. ASTM D6866 is an application of radiocarbon dating without the use of age equations.
Products that are from renewable sources have a well-characterized amount of carbon 14 in them and are 100% biobased. Those products that are purely fossil have no carbon 14 and therefore 0% biobased. Materials with both fossil and renewable inputs have a biobased content greater than 0% but less than 100%.
The OK Biobased rating system uses stars to indicate the biobased content or amount of renewable carbon in a product. A product with a one-star rating has a biobased content between 20%-40% while those with two stars have a biobased content between 40%-60%. Three stars are given to products with 60%–80% renewable carbon, and those with more than 80% biobased content will receive a four-star rating.
This entry was posted on Monday, April 5th, 2010 and is filed under Biobased Products .