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BIOPOLYMER Intelligence

Overview / Glossary & standards

Glossary & standards

Terms

TRL
Technology readiness level. Recorded only when a source states it (with its scope), or as an estimate labelled as such; otherwise 'Not reported'.
Nameplate capacity
The design capacity of a plant. It is not output: plants may be announced, under construction, commissioned or operating below capacity. This site never shows nameplate capacity as production.
Mass balance
A chain-of-custody model that attributes a bio-based (or recycled) share to products by bookkeeping, without physical segregation. Attributed content is recorded separately from measured bio-based carbon.
Biogenic carbon
Carbon that came from biomass. How an LCA accounts for it (uptake, storage, release) must be stated.
Functional unit
The quantified function an LCA compares (for example one bottle of a given volume), so that products are compared on the same basis.
System boundary
The life-cycle stages included in an LCA, for example cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave.
Cradle-to-gate
An LCA boundary from raw-material extraction to the factory gate, excluding use and end of life.
ROP
Ring-opening polymerisation: cyclic monomers such as lactide open and add to a growing chain.
ROCOP
Ring-opening copolymerisation, for example of epoxides with CO₂ or with cyclic anhydrides.
Tg
Glass transition temperature: above it, amorphous regions soften from glassy to rubbery.
Tm
Melting temperature of the crystalline regions.
HDT
Heat deflection temperature: the temperature at which a test bar deflects a set amount under a stated load.
scPLA
Stereocomplex PLA: a co-crystal of poly(L-lactide) and poly(D-lactide).
mcl-PHA
Medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates, with longer side chains than PHB.
Vitrimer
A covalently crosslinked network whose bonds exchange at high temperature, so it can be reshaped while remaining a network.
NIPU
Non-isocyanate polyurethane, typically from cyclic carbonates and amines.
ND
Not disclosed: the source does not report the value, or no sourced value exists yet. ND never means zero.

Label taxonomy

machine-triaged
A discovery record screened by DeepSeek flash. The quote is checked against the title or abstract; nothing else is verified.
peer-reviewed
Checked development whose main source is a peer-reviewed paper.
supplier announcement
Checked development based on a company release; claims are attributed, not endorsed.
preprint/patent lead
Not peer-reviewed; recorded as a lead only.
hold
Selected but not publishable yet; the reason is stated.
Watch / Data gap / Milestone to check
Neutral tracking labels. They do not imply any purchasing, qualification or follow-up decision.
Novelty types
new-chemistry · new-route · new-formulation-or-application · scale-or-supply (one per lead).

Standards

Titles are shown as published by the issuing body (retrieved 20 Oct 2026 from ISO open data, the CEN catalogue, ASTM and ISCC). Scopes are not paraphrased here — follow the link.

CodeTitle (as published)Issuing body
EN 16640:2017Bio-based products - Bio-based carbon content - Determination of the bio-based carbon content using the radiocarbon method
Search the CEN catalogue for EN 16640. A revision (prEN 16640) is under approval.		CEN (CEN/TC 411)
EN 16785-1:2015Bio-based products - Bio-based content - Part 1: Determination of the bio-based content using the radiocarbon analysis and elemental analysis
Search the CEN catalogue for EN 16785-1.		CEN (CEN/TC 411)
EN 13432:2000Packaging - Requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation - Test scheme and evaluation criteria for the final acceptance of packaging
Search the CEN catalogue for EN 13432. A revision (prEN 13432 rev) is at preliminary stage.		CEN (CEN/TC 261)
ASTM D6866Standard Test Methods for Determining the Biobased Content of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using Radiocarbon AnalysisASTM International
ASTM D6400Standard Specification for Labeling of Plastics Designed to be Aerobically Composted in Municipal or Industrial FacilitiesASTM International
ISO 16620-1:2015Plastics — Biobased content — Part 1: General principlesISO
ISO 16620-2:2019Plastics — Biobased content — Part 2: Determination of biobased carbon contentISO
ISO 16620-3:2015Plastics — Biobased content — Part 3: Determination of biobased synthetic polymer contentISO
ISO 16620-4:2024Plastics — Biobased content — Part 4: Determination of biobased mass contentISO
ISO 16620-5:2017Plastics — Biobased content — Part 5: Declaration of biobased carbon content, biobased synthetic polymer content and biobased mass contentISO
ISO 17088:2021Plastics — Organic recycling — Specifications for compostable plasticsISO
ISO 14040:2006Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework
Amended by ISO 14040:2006/Amd 1:2020.		ISO
ISO 14044:2006Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and guidelines
Amended by Amd 1:2017 and Amd 2:2020.		ISO
ISO 14067:2018Greenhouse gases — Carbon footprint of products — Requirements and guidelines for quantificationISO
ISO 22095:2020Chain of custody — General terminology and models
ISO 22095-2:2026 (Requirements and guidelines for mass balance) was published on 26 January 2026.		ISO
ISCC PLUSISCC PLUS certification
A certification scheme, not a standard.		ISCC System GmbH

Domain clarification

Naturvårdsverket (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency), Vad är biobaserad plast? (reviewed 24 Jun 2026, retrieved 20 Oct 2026). Quoted in the original Swedish with a faithful English translation: