Materials

What does “biobased” actually mean, and what evidence should support the claim?

“Biobased” describes where material comes from. It does not, on its own, prove lower environmental impact or a better end-of-life outcome.

Updated 8 August 2026

Short answer

A biobased product is wholly or partly derived from biomass. If only part of the product is biobased, the proportion and scope should be made clear. The property does not automatically mean the product is organic, biodegradable, compostable, recyclable, natural or environmentally preferable overall.

Describe material origin — and stop there unless you have more evidence

French guidance defines a biobased product, material or substance as being wholly or partly made from plant or animal biomass rather than fossilised raw materials.

That tells consumers something about feedstock. It does not establish a full environmental performance claim. Climate, biodiversity, circularity or lifecycle benefits need separate evidence.

Biobased ≠ organic ≠ biodegradable ≠ compostable ≠ recyclable ≠ natural.

Quantify rather than imply

Where only part of a product is biobased, a stronger statement gives the measured percentage and identifies the relevant part of the product. It should also be clear whether the figure relates to total material, biobased carbon or another defined metric.

“Housing contains 62% biobased material” is easier to substantiate than a stand-alone “BIOBASED” badge with no scope or percentage.

Language can create unintended associations

In some markets, prefixes such as “bio” can imply organic certification, naturalness or biodegradability. A brand should avoid allowing the material-origin statement to carry benefits that have not separately been demonstrated.

Specific information about the feedstock, proportion and component reduces that ambiguity.

The EU generic-claim rules expressly include “biobased” as an example

Directive 2024/825 includes “biobased” among examples of wording that can be generic when the environmental benefit is not clearly specified on the same medium.

This does not ban the word. It creates a strong incentive to communicate the measurable material fact rather than relying on a broad positive impression.

Evidence checklist

Which part of the product is biobased?
What percentage has been measured?
Which test method or standard was used?
What biomass feedstock is involved and where does it come from?
Could the presentation imply organic certification or biodegradability?
Does every additional environmental benefit have separate supporting evidence?