Legal notices and footnotes "*"

Note on materials and degradation conditions in accordance with the EmpCo Directive (EU 2024/825):

The terms ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’ refer to the materials used in the products (G1, G3, G5). A general statement on biodegradability without specifying the conditions would be misleading. Degradability applies only to the carrier materials; any mineral components (e.g. bentonite) are excluded.

Biodegradable:
Means that a material or product gradually breaks down completely into CO₂, water and biomass by means of micro-organisms, without any defined conditions.

Compostable:
Means that the material or product is completely converted into CO₂, water and biomass under defined conditions within a specified period of time.
Naue GmbH & Co. KG uses various biodegradable or compostable materials.

G1: A compostable, biodegradable, bio-based raw material derived from cellulose. Our products made from this material are certified as follows:

• TÜV Austria: OK compost Industrial
• TÜV Austria: OK compost Home
• TÜV Austria: OK biodegradable Soil
• TÜV Austria: OK biodegradable Water
• TÜV Austria: OK biodegradable Marine
• EN 13432 Seedling Logo

G3: A biodegradable, bio-based raw material derived from polylactic acid (PLA). The fibres used are compostable and biodegradable in accordance with EN 13432. PLA is hydrophilic and breaks down gradually on contact with moisture: water first breaks down the polymer chains (hydrolysis) until the material dissolves. The resulting intermediate products – oligomers and lactic acid monomers – are non-toxic and are subsequently completely broken down by microorganisms into biomass, water and CO₂. For this reason, PLA leaves no permanent residues in the environment. The speed at which this process takes place depends primarily on temperature and the availability of moisture. In industrial composting plants, it takes weeks; in the natural environment, it can take months to decades. These statements have been confirmed by an expert report.

G5: The biodegradability of the raw material used in the production of G5 is certified as follows:

• Japan BioPlastics Association (JPBA): Biodegradable PLA
• TÜV Austria: EN 13432 OK compost Industrial
• DIN Certco: EN 13432 Seedling