When comparing products, look for the Plastic Free Certification trust mark (A Plastic Planet and Control Union), Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) or TÜV OK compost marks for compostables, and How2Recycle labels for disposal instructions. Ignore words like eco, green and biodegradable on their own.
Plastic Free Certification covers over 100 brands and requires lab testing; BPI now tests for total fluorine (PFAS); How2Recycle has over 525 members and refreshed its label in August 2025. The PlasticFree.com materials database went free for everyone in late 2025.
The catch: a compostable mark only helps if you have an organics collection that accepts it; University College London (UCL)'s Big Compost Experiment found 60 percent of home-compostable-labelled items still visible after home composting.