The BPI License Agreement requires all BPI-certified products (e.g. bags, cups, cutlery wrappers, forks, pouches) and packaging (both consumer- and market-facing) for BPI-certified products to display the BPI Certification Mark unless an exemption has been granted in writing.
The on-product portion of this requirement is particularly important for differentiating compostable products from their non-compostable counterparts and is the visual cue that consumers and end-users use when determining whether or not to put an item into an organics/compost bin. Composters will use this same information to determine whether or not an item that they receive at their facility represents a contaminant to their operation.
Without consistent labeling and identification efforts at the on-product level, it is nearly impossible for compostable products and packaging to be diverted from landfills.
The BPI Certification Mark Usage Requirements manual provides overviews of the current regulatory requirements for compostability messaging in the United States and Canada and shows examples of the BPI Certification Marks in use. BPI has different versions of the BPI Certification Mark available, but all certified products and their packaging must contain the following 5 elements:
Consumers, End-Users, Composters and others use the BPI Certification Mark to determine whether finished items are compostable. Using it properly is essential to helping mitigate contamination from non-compostable products in organics streams. The following are examples of improper use of the BPI Certification Mark:
