Biodegradable Textile Assessment

Biodegradability - for a holistic view of sustainability.

What happens at a product's end of its life?

Illustrated circle with pants, jacket and t-shirt, dirt with bugs and fungus, dirt with trees growing, factory — End of life and circularity considerations are essential to reducing use of scarce resources and preventing further chemicals from entering supply chains.

A holistic view of sustainability embraces circularity, considering not only manufacturing and safety but also the full product life cycle and its impact. Without reuse, recycling, or upcycling, textiles often end up in landfills or compost, affecting the surrounding soil and water systems.

Take control of your impact.

Biodegradation Testing

Turn the end into a new beginning.

Textile Biodegradability
Chemical Biodegradability

Textile Biodegradability

Textile Biodegradation

To ensure that products are biodegradable and do not leach toxins into the environment, Hohenstein developed a test specifically for textile products.

Hohenstein's biodegradation tests use controlled soil burial over a defined test period. This method is based on international standards that determine the decomposition and degradation behavior of materials.

The results allow you to determine the decay process and environmental impact of a textile while transparently demonstrating that you have considered its entire life cycle—an essential step toward circularity.

Test Method

AAFA Chat on Biodegradation Testing for R&D + Claim Verification

Chemical Biodegradability

OECD 301 F: Testing Biodegradability Testing of Chemicals

Screening of chemicals for ready biodegradability in an aerobic aqueous medium

This test method defines the biodegradability of a chemical. It can be used for soluble and insoluble chemicals, such as detergents, cleaners, industrial chemicals (per REACH regulation), drugs and cosmetics. It categorizes the speed and degree of biodegradation at 22°C (71.6°F) within 28 days and further classifies inherent and persistent biodegradability.

To pass the OECD 301 F manometric respiration test, the chemical must biodegrade by at least 60% within 10 days.

Explanation of the OECD 301 F test method for biodegradability of chemicals and its importance.

Textile Biodegradability Test Method

ISO - Basis Test Methods
What We Test
How We Test
Applications
Microfiber Biodegradation

ISO - Basis Test Methods

Customized Testing Based on Standardized Methods

The Hohenstein test method was developed in accordance with the following standards:

DIN EN ISO 11721-1: Textiles - Determination of resistance of cellulose containing textiles to micro-organisms - Soil burial test - Part 1: Assessment of rot-retardant finishing
DIN EN ISO 846: Plastics - Evaluation of the action of microorganisms on plastics

What We Test

Product and Impact Assessments

The mass loss of the textile:
Examining the the decay process of a product by micro-organisms like fungi and bacteria in combination with oxygen in the soil
The ecotoxicological safety of the textile:
Determining the impact to the environment with cress and earthworm tests

How We Test

Controlled Conditions

The tests can be carried out either under defined laboratory conditions or under practical outdoor conditions (exposed to the climate). Under laboratory conditions, incubation takes place in standardized test containers under constant climatic conditions.

We use standardized test soil under aerobic conditions, whereby the biological activity is monitored using a reference sample.

Sampling and sample cleaning are carried out after three defined excavation dates (these can be set based on the product).

After a specified test period, the test samples are evaluated for degradation rate based on qualitative determination of the the mass loss.

Furthermore, we check the environmental compatibility or environmental pollution caused by the product's degradation with ecotoxicological tests and optional chemical analyses.

Applications

Biodegradability tests are used in sourcing, product development, claim verification, quality assurance and circularity initiatives

by textile manufacturers, finishers, brands and retailers

Objective measurement of biodegradability in soil
Verification of marketing claims
Product optimization and sourcing based on data
Labeling of biodegradable textile products with a Hohenstein Quality Label (B2C) or Hohenstein certificate (B2B)
Determination of product's risk to the environment
Quality assurance based on ecotoxicological considerations

Microfiber Biodegradation

DIN SPEC 4872

DIN SPEC 4872 is a standardized test method for determining the environmental impact of textiles during washing. We examine how many fibers are discharged when textiles are washed, how well the fibers break down in wastewater and how harmful the fiber residues are for the environment.

Reduce Microfiber Impact