Great question! Most people thing these words mean the same thing, but there’s a very important distinction.
Biodegradable simply means that disintegration will occur, without specifying an amount of time or what the end material may be. Technically, any material is biodegradable given a very broad time scale. We may be talking billions of years!
Companies often use the term “biodegradable” to confuse consumers. It is now illegal to label a product as “biodegradable” in California, and any product must legally undergo third-party testing to claim it anywhere else.
Compostable materials must degrade at a certain rate into a nutrient-rich substance to earn certifications. We consider “compostable” to be a legitimate way to measure and represent a product’s end-of-life impact on the environment.
Our compostable products are certified as compostable, not just biodegradable.