EN 16785 is the European standard for substantiating bio-based content claims. Part 1 defines how to determine bio-based content using radiocarbon (C-14) analysis combined with elemental analysis, allowing a product's carbon from biomass to be distinguished from fossil-derived carbon. Certification against it — via schemes such as DIN CERTCO's "bio-based" mark or TÜV Austria's OK biobased, which also expresses content in star ratings — gives a defined, testable basis for claims like "made from 85% bio-based materials." The claim-critical distinction: bio-based content is a feedstock claim, not an end-of-life claim. A product can be 100% bio-based and not biodegradable, and vice versa; regulators have sanctioned brands for blurring the two. Certification therefore substantiates the measured bio-based carbon share of the certified product only. The standard underpins the European bio-based product labels used on packaging, chemicals and consumer goods, and it is the method regulators point to when testing whether a 'plant-based' or 'bio-based' claim is measurable at all. Star or percentage ratings are only comparable when determined under the same method. It does not by itself establish biodegradability, compostability, lower carbon footprint over the life cycle, or any wording beyond the certified content figure.
Conditional relationships
Claims it may support
A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.