Rhodes Yepsen
Rhodes Yepsen
Executive Director, Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018
SESSION Food Serviceware: Product Developments to Zero Waste Models
Compostable Products in Organic Agriculture
Currently, compost sold into Organic agriculture cannot be produced if the facility accepts compostable products, creating barriers for composters looking to take more food, work with business on zero waste, etc. This is because the National Organic Program (NOP) restricts the use of "synthetic" inputs, which includes substances produced from natural origins that have been chemically/structurally modified. BPI has been working with the NOP and the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) on compostable products and mulch film, going through the petition process to have them formally listed as approved inputs, with mixed success. This presentation will give a brief history and current state of affairs.
About Rhodes Yepsen
Rhodes Yepsen is Executive Director of the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), North America’s leading certifier of compostable products and packaging in North America. A nonprofit, the BPI’s goal is the scalable diversion of organic waste to composting, by verifying that products and packaging will completely break down in a professionally managed composting facility, without harming the quality of that compost. Yepsen also co-chairs the Compostable Products Task Force at the US Composting Council, where he formerly served on the Board of Directors.
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