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Recycled Organic Standards, Product Certification and Joint Market Education

1.1 Background

The Compost Supply Chain Roadmap, launched on 13 February 2006, identified the need to address end-users' needs and promote the idea of different quality products. It highlighted the necessity of redefining compost as a product designed with a specific purpose rather than a treated waste needing disposal. The existing certification scheme for Composts, Soil Conditioners and Mulches, known as Standards Mark, did not effectively link certified products with defined market requirements, nor did it allow individual market segments to identify a Recycled Organic product specifically designed to meet their needs.

In December 2007 Compost Australia, a division of the Waste Management Association of Australia, entered into a Joint Marking Agreement (JMA) with SAI Global in order to overcome the shortcomings of the Standards Mark certification. The resulting Certified Composts Program allows Compost Australia to undertake joint marketing activities on behalf of the industry using the Leaf Mark with the confidence that the products being promoted will be fit-for-purpose (application-specific) and independently certified.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of this Application Specific Product Development Process (the Process) is to assist product manufacturers and their advisors to develop products that:

1. are designed for specific applications and/or contexts;
2. deliver specified performance outcomes when used as recommended;
3. require more rigorous specification and testing linked to guidelines for application and use in specific contexts.

The Process provides a mechanism for product manufacturers to certify recycled organic products that have been designed with a clear purpose (or application) and therefore have value as a product rather than a waste requiring disposal. This may include some products that fall outside the specifications provided in the Australian Standard for Composts, Soil Conditioners and Mulches (AS4454).

1.3 Scope

The Process and associated Product Information Template (the Template) cover recycled organic products that meet the specific physical, chemical and application requirements of end-users whilst also taking into account the environment where the product will be used. The Process is designed to be used in conjunction with the AS4454, the industry-accepted standard for Composts, Soil Conditioners and Mulches. The recycled organic product types intended to be developed and described using the Process and Template are specified in AS4454, Section 1.1.

1.4 Application

The Process and Template are intended for use by manufacturers and suppliers of recycled organic products. They are working product development documents designed to deliver consistent organic products that fit the particular application employed by the user. The resulting products can be audited and registered by SAI Global (a third-party certifier) under the Certified Compost scheme. Certified products may carry both the Standards Mark and Leaf Mark branding.

Related Documents:

Knowyourproduct2004  (133 KB)

Needforbetterproduspec2006  (144 KB)

Certifiedcompost  (475 KB)

Process_Appendicies  (217 KB)

Process_productdevelopment  (330 KB)

Brandingguidelines  (1009 KB)