Navigating the complexity of organic waste recycling 

The global infrastructure for organic recycling is fragmented and varied, this is one of the challenges to allowing consumers and businesses to dispose of waste responsibly.  Some countries have robust systems for separating food and green garden waste, others collect them together – or even include materials like sewage sludge through a practice known as “co-feeding”. On top of this, waste treatment preferences vary widely; some regions focus on composting, while others prioritize anaerobic digestion (AD), often followed with a composting step to recover biogas and ensure digestate, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion, is safer and suitable for land application or other uses. In many parts of the world, particularly where infrastructure is still developing, there is no clear route for managing organic waste.  

Anaerobic digestion is experiencing steady growth in both the European Union and the United States, driven by environmental policies, energy security concerns, and the push for circular economy solutions. In the EU, the AD market was valued at $58 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a 4.3% annually through 2034, with countries like Germany leading in adoption (Global Market Insights). The U.S. market, while smaller at $0.126 billion in 2025, is expanding at a slightly faster annual growth rate of 4.9% a, supported by state-level initiatives and increasing infrastructure investment (Global Growth Insights). Both regions are leveraging AD to process organic waste and produce renewable biogas (Waste360). 

What Is Anaerobic Digestion? 

Anaerobic digestion is a microbial process that breaks down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. It operates at temperatures between 35°C and 55°C and typical cycle time is 21 days. The result is a combination of biogas (methane and CO₂) and digestate, a material rich in nutrients. 

Key Insight: As concern over persistent pollution grows, the purity of AD digestate is under closer scrutiny—making the choice of fruit label material increasingly important for waste processors and municipalities. 

In the EU digestate is often composted or treated to meet strict quality standards (e.g., in Germany, Austria, Sweden). In the USA more digestate is applied directly to land, especially in agricultural settings, though composting is growing in popularity. 

Fig 1: Comparison or organic recycling processes 

Compostable labels in context: Compatible with controlled organic recovery processes? 

Organic recycling is fragmented, and variability makes designing universal compostable products a significant challenge, especially when these products may encounter a range of treatment environments. 

Certified compostable fruit labels help support the circular economy

The Sinclair – T55 label was designed for home and industrial composting which has specific requirements that need to be met to meet composting standards to achieve certification. So, being designed for another organic recycling process, compostable labels could pose a challenge in the AD waste stream. It is also likely given the diverse global waste treatment systems, T55 will occasionally enter anaerobic digestion processes. So, how does it perform? 

Testing in Anaerobic Digestion 

There is no widely accepted standard for testing the performance of materials in AD. In order to evaluate the performance of T55 in AD, Sinclair collaborated with Normec, an independent testing facility, using a two-phase testing protocol. This mirrors real-world treatment approaches like those in Sweden, where AD is followed by composting. 

Key Results: 

• Phase 1 – Anaerobic Digestion (21 days):
  T55 achieved ~9% biodegradation and there is no visible contamination of the digestate 

• Phase 2 – Industrial Composting (14 days):
  Biodegradation rose sharply to 97%, showing significant breakdown under composting conditions. 

Interpretation of Results 

While T55 does not fully biodegrade during the short AD phase, it does not interfere with the AD process or reduce the quality of the digestate because it becomes visibly indistinguishable from the digestate itself. Its design allows it to disintegrate in AD but full biodegradation occurs in the subsequent composting stage, fulfilling the requirements of a circular waste system without introducing visible plastic contamination. 

Conclusion 

T55 is a compostable label that aligns well with multi-phase organic waste treatment systems. Although it has limited biodegradation during anaerobic digestion, it does not compromise digestate quality, and it completes biodegradation in the composting phase. 

Unlike conventional fruit labels, T55 avoids the formation of persistent plastic particles, supporting efforts to reduce plastic pollution in soil systems. 

In an increasingly complex waste management landscape, T55 offers a realistic, responsible solution that supports both circular economy goals and zero-plastic contamination targets at end-of-life.

1. Global Market Insights, 2024: Europe Anaerobic Digestion Market Size, 2025–2034 Forecast
2. Global Growth Insights, 2024: Anaerobic Digestion Market Size & Share [2033]  
3. Waste360, 2023: Comparison of Anaerobic Digestion in the EU vs. the U.S.