What is the Compostable Field Testing Program?

The Compostable Field Testing Program, or CFTP is the world’s only non-profit research program dedicated to investigating the real-world disintegration of certified compostable products.

Operating since 2016, in North America and beyond, the CFTP supports composters in employing standardized, evidence-based field testing methodologies (e.g., Mesh Bag and Bulk Dose Methods) to ensure consistent and reliable results.

Where does the CFTP get its data?

When participating compost facilities report their results, this data is collected by the CFTP, aggregated and anonymized for public access in an open-source online data dashboard. Additionally, we receive data from organizations who partner with the CFTP and share their findings back with the program. The Composting Consortium did exactly this, and their robust donation of test data was essential to the development of our data dashboard.

What is the value of open source field testing of compostable items?

As composters expand their lists of accepted feedstocks to meet demand for compost processing, the question of whether—and how—to accept certified compostable foodware and packaging remains perennial. While lab-based certification for compostability is an essential starting point, field testing has emerged as an important method for bridging the gap between controlled lab-based compostability testing and real-world composting conditions, providing practical insights for stakeholders. The performance and operations data collected by the CFTP helps correlate composting conditions with the disintegration of common certified compostable products and packaging, bringing science-based insights to the compost community. The CFTP helps jurisdictions, policy makers, and compostable product producers understand the experiences of composters, and supports composters in understanding how to improve disintegration outcomes in their own operations. While field testing is an inexact and evolving science, rigor and integrity of scientific inquiry are core to the program’s ethos.

The CFTP and CREF

CREF has been a cornerstone partner in the development and success of the CFTP. As a co-founding organization, along with long-standing joint venture partner BSIbio, CREF brought its mission to advance composting science and education to the forefront of this groundbreaking initiative. From the outset, CREF has helped shape the CFTP’s vision, and played a key role in ensuring the CFTP remains an independent and credible research platform, free from commercial influence. By facilitating collaboration across industry, municipal, and research partners, CREF has helped build the trust and transparency that underpin the program’s reputation. As the program expands its reach and impact, CREF continues to serve as a trusted steward, championing evidence-based approaches to evaluating compostable products and advancing the circular economy.