Compostable Goods carefully selects products that we believe will break down completely and safely based upon information supplied to us by the manufacturer and/or distributor; however, we do not independently verify the compostability and biodegradability of our products. All products fall under at least one of the following three categories:

1. Certified Compostable - The compostability of the product has been assessed by a third party to meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard specifications for compostables. Certification applies to composing in a commercial or municipal aerobic composting facility, although some of these products can also be composted in the home setting.

Compostability standards are ASTM Standards D6400 - 04 for compostable plastics and ASTM D6868 - 03 for compostable packaging (biodegradable plastics used as coatings on paper or other compostable substrates). In a commercial or municipal aerobic composting facility products meeting these requirements will:

1. Biodegrade under composting conditions at a rate comparable to known compostable materials.
2. Disintegrate rapidly leaving no large fragments needing to be screened out.
3. Not diminish the value or utility of the compost resulting from the process (e.g., does not contain regulated metals).

2. All materials and ingredients disclosed - The manufacturer has disclosed all materials and ingredients used to make the product. The materials and ingredients are either naturally-occurring products known to biodegrade (e.g., wood) or are naturally-occurring components of soil (e.g., minerals). Materials and ingredients are listed in the product description.

3. Compostable, Biodegradable or All Natural - The manufacturer describes the product as compostable, biodegradable or made with all natural materials, but the product is not certified compostable and a full list of materials and ingredients is not disclosed for proprietary reasons. The product description contains all information that is available to us. When independent laboratory results are available, we will provide a link to the manufacturer's website. We attempt to screen out products that are not truly biodegradable or compostable even when labeled as such (e.g., some products described as biodegradable are made with biodegradable materials but have added ingredients not appropriate for the compost).

Items listed as biodegradable are not certified as such, but rather typically declared so by the manufacturer based on ingredients used. The term biodegradable refers to the process of microbes in the environment breaking down materials as a source of food. Biodegradation can occur quickly (as with food or paper) or slowly (as with wood). Many of the products will not compost as quickly as the certified compostables or food scraps, but will degrade over a longer period of time and will not contribute to our waste stream. See our Resources section for tips on composting specific items.

Some materials may be biodegradable under some conditions but not others. For example, some compostable plastics will only biodegrade under conditions of high heat such as the temperatures obtained in a municipal or commercial composting facility. Others will biodegrade in microbially-active soil and do not require high temperatures.

Terms used to describe product attributes

Organic - Organic standards vary by country. We offer the following United States Department of Agriculture Standards below. Although focused on food, fibers can also be certified under these standards. Many of our textiles fall under the Global Organic Textile Standard, an international effort to create unification among various existing standards. See the cotton and wool sections for more information on organic methods specific to those materials.

USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) definition, April 1995

• Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.
• "Organic" is a labeling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole.
• Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water.
• Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.

Although generally desirable, we do not require all of our materials to be organic. In fact, our own goats and llamas would not be considered organic. We feel the relevance of organic certification varies by product. For example, conventional cotton requires large amounts of pesticide, so nearly all of our cotton products are organic. We feel organic methods of raising fiber animals are less important since relatively small amounts of medicinals (e.g., worming agents) are used and are generally not applied directly to the wool. Of greater importance is an organic method for processing wool and animal fibers.

Fair Trade - We offer the following definition of fair trade from the European Fair Trade Association:

Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalised producers and workers, especially in the South. Fair Trade organisations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.

Vegan - No animal products are used in the manufacturing of the product.  Our items described as vegan are cotton yarns and hemp, made completely from plant fibers. Although not formally described as such, many of our other products made from plant materials could also be considered vegan. Please contact us if you would like additional information about our products.

Product Materials and Ingredients

Bioplastics - Bioplastics are plastics made from a biological source that are capable of biodegradation. Bioplastics can be hard plastic (e.g., cutlery) or pliable (e.g., kitchen bags). The oldest bioplastic is cellulose film made from wood cellulose. Bioplastics are made from a variety of biological sources including corn, wheat, and starches such as potato. Some bioplastics require high heat and humidity conditions to biodegrade while others only require microbially-active soil. Many bioplastics are certified compostable if American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards are met.

Cotton - Production of conventional cotton uses large amounts of pesticides, posing risks to farm workers, wildlife, the environment, and the end user. Therefore, we have a very strong bias towards organic cotton, making exceptions only when a necessary ingredient or a one-of-a-kind product is not available in organic cotton. The organic cotton used in our products is certified by various certifying agencies which may follow slightly different standards. Furthermore, standards may change over time. We consider most certified organic cotton products to be biodegradable since chemical imputs must meet certain biodegradability standards under the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Although a small amount of synthetic fibers are allowed under GOTS, we do not source products with synthetic fibers unless they are biodegradable.

Cotton is naturally an off-white color, which may be slightly different from year to year based on field conditions. We prefer cotton in its natural color to avoid the bleaching process, plus we think it is more interesting than white. Color-grown cotton grows naturally in shades or green and brown which, unlike dyed fabrics, get darker with washing. Some of our cotton items are naturally dyed with plant dyes and mordants that are natural soil components or break down into such.

Gift wrap - We use hand-made sun-bleached paper with embedded leaves or flowers as our gift wrap. Our boxes are made from recycled kraft board. The tissue papper is also kraft. Bows and ties are made from our selection of yarns and hemp twine. If adhesive is necessary to secure the package, we use a biodegradable glue. Due to the inks used, we recommend recycling rather than composting the gift tags.

Hemp - Hemp fiber comes from the plant Cannabis Sativa. Yes, it is a related to marijuana but contains little of the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana and has no value as a drug. Hemp is a fast growing and relatively pest free plant, making it a good ecological choice for sustainable textiles. Hemp production is still illegal in the United Sates, so all of our hemp necessarily comes from outside the country. The hemp used in our items made from 100% hemp is grown according to the European Union organic regulations. The fiber is grown and processed in Romania using a series of mechanical combings, rather than chemical methods of processing. The fiber goes through several rounds of combing known as scotching and hackling, which is the traditional method for processing hemp in Eastern Europe. There are no spinning oils used. All hemp products described as natural reflect the color of hemp without dyes, so there may be some color variation from item to item. Since hemp is strong and durable, hemp thread is used for sewing. This excludes the need for a non-biodegradable cotton and polyester blend thread which is often used over pure cotton in the textile industry because of its increased strength. Hemp fiber can be used to make a variety of products including cloth, rope, twine, paper, and carpet. Seeds can be used as a food as is or made into hemp milk, flour, cheese, beer, and animal feed. Seed oils can be used in foods and personal products. The core of the stalk and fibers can be used for construction materials. This is a very useful plant! See the Resources section for links to more hemp information.

Non-compostable parts - Some items such as belts and dog collars contain non-compostable parts. This is the case when the item cannot be made (or cannot be made to function well) without these parts. Acceptable non-compostable parts must be able to be easily removed from the compostable part and either be reusable or easily recyclable. Currently we only offer items with non-compostable parts made from metal which can either be reused or can be recycled as scrap metal.

Wood - Many of our wood products are made locally with wood from the forests of Vermont which are rich with sugar maples. From time to time you may even find products from our own family woodlot. When possible, we source products that are made from wood that comes from Forest Stewardship Council certified wood, which assures that the wood "comes from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic, and ecological needs of present and future generations". Our wood products are either unfinished or have a natural oil (e.g., linseed oil) or wax finish on them. Wood biodegrades slowly, but the process can be hastened by making wood chips which can be used as mulch or added to a compost pile.

Wool - We refer to wool as the fibers from sheep, llama, alpaca, goats, rabbits, etc. Although differences exist among the fiber types, they are all protein fibers that are high in nitrogen, as opposed to cellulose plant fibers. Some of our wool items are organic, but others are not. We require processing of wool to be certified organic or consistent with organic standards but do not require wool to be from organic farms as we do not believe that it is always in the best interest of the animal. Wool types are often blended to acquire both qualities in the yarn (e.g., sheep's wool for its elasticity and mohair for its superior dye-ability). Wool fibers decompose when in contact with moisture and microbially active soil, although take longer than typical vegetative compostables.

The necessary (and often not compostalbe) extras

Packaging - Although we're trying to change the world, we're living in the real one so non-biodegradable packaging is a fact of life. In the ideal world, your entire order would completely biodegrade. The reality is that some products are enclosed in plastic by the manufacturer. This is typically the case when there are many parts or if the object needs this protection during storage and shipping. If a product comes to us packaged in plastic we will typically send it to you that way, although we are happy to remove the plastic for most products if you request this in the comments box on the checkout page. Some products have manufacturer-printed paper tags or are packaged in cardboard boxes which should be recycled. For products requiring packaging for which biodegradable packaging is not available (e.g., liquids), we highly prefer recyclable packaging (e.g., metal tins or recyclable plastic). We request the minimal amount of packaging possible when we order our products from manufacturers. We are continually searching for the most sustainable packaging options and are always open to suggestions for improvement.

Shipping - When we send items to you, we put them in cardboard boxes made from 100% post-consumer waste recycled content. These boxes can be recycled or used as a bulking agent for compost piles. Cardboard also makes a good mulch for killing sod where you want a garden bed or a weed barrier where you'd like a path through your garden. One flap of the box is printed with box information. We are unable to reliably determine the source of the ink for all of the boxes we receive, so recommend recycling the printed flap rather than composting it. You will likely also need to recycle other box flaps with writing, labels or stamps on them. The tape used to secure the box is paper tape but is necessarily reinforced with fiberglass so be sure to recycle, not compost, it. The adhesive is reportedly biodegradable, although we are not able to confirm this, so you may wish to recycle, not compost, parts of the box with tape if you are concerned about adhesive residue. Kraft-type paper is used for wrapping and protecting items during shipping as well as for fill. This paper can be recycled, composed or reused as kids' drawing paper or other craft projects.

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