A holistic view of sustainability focuses not only on manufacturing and safety, but also on the end of the product life cycle and its impact. If it isn't reused, recycled or upcycled in some way, textiles often end up in a landfill or compost, affecting the surrounding soil and water systems.
Take control of your impact.
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.
The Hohenstein test method was developed in accordance with the following standards:
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.
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.
The Hohenstein Quality Label - Biodegradable - is awarded for products whose remnants are classified as ecotoxicologically safe.
