ASTM-D6866 Testing
The ASTM-D6866 testing helps determine the carbon content of a product. It indicates the percentage of bio-based (e.g. corn-starch) and fossil based (petrochemical) content within a particular construction and is an excellent indicator of the total amount of renewable content that a label contains.
In simple words, the real value in the ASTM-D6866 analysis is the fact that it represents less usage of petroleum in the product. Therefore, a product that is said to be 60% biobased means that the product contains 60% less petroleum carbon than its plastic competitor.
Some points to note when viewing the ASTM-D6866 results are:
• It is important to be used as a tool for comparison rather than absolute answers.
• It is based on the same concepts as radiocarbon dating and only measures carbon content
• The mean bio-based content percentage does not indicate actual renewable content as it relates % renewable (or fossil) carbon to total carbon, not to total mass. This is further explained in the document “The Sandwich Analogy” available to download at the end of this page.
Download:
- Press Release - The Sandwich Analogy