Fluorinated Chemicals

BPI's new standard for fluorinated chemicals went into effect on January 1, 2020. Products may no longer be claimed as BPI Certified, whether on the product itself, or on a product's packaging or marketing materials, unless it meets all conditions of the rule, including no intentionally added fluorinated chemicals (as demonstrated in Safety Data Sheets) and a test report showing less than 100 ppm total fluorine. 

These rules were announced at the end of 2017. All BPI member companies were notified to reduce upstream and downstream inventory of non-compliant products, packaging, and marketing materials to comply with the December 31, 2019 deadline.

It is essential for composters, municipalities, BPI, and others to have the ability to easily identify products that meet the new standard. For that reason, BPI's expectation is that members will maintain separate part numbers for compliant and non-compliant products. This can be done by adding an extension to an existing SKU or part number, or by creating a brand new one. Creating a new brand name for products that meet the standard is also useful for distinguishing new items that don't have fluorinated chemicals. If this protocol is not followed, it will be impossible to know the difference between legacy products that don't meet the standard and new products that do.

BPI's product database lists products at the SKU level, and it is the definitive listing of compliant products. All products that have not been verified to meet the new standard have been removed from the BPI certified product database effective 12/31/19.

Member companies found with BPI claims associated with non-compliant inventory in the marketplace that have not submitted a plan to BPI will be subject to having their license agreement temporarily suspended or revoked entirely.

BPI continues to engage with composters, state regulators an others on the topic of fluorinated chemicals in compostable products, and is available as a resource on this topic. 

For information on the transition process and timelines for members from 2017 - 2019 click here.