BPI’s new standard for fluorinated chemicals went into effect on January 1, 2020. Products may no longer be claimed as BPI Certified, whether on the product itself, or on a product’s packaging or marketing materials, unless it meets all conditions of the rule, including no intentionally added fluorinated chemicals (as demonstrated in Safety Data Sheets).  BPI’s product database lists products at the SKU level, and it is the definitive listing of compliant products. All products that have not been verified to meet the new standard were removed from the BPI certified product database effective Dec. 31, 2019. About 2,000 products were delisted.
At its annual Member meeting on Jan. 28, 2020, BPI announced a new Stakeholder Member category. The original category is Producer Member — businesses directly tied to the production and selling of BPI Certified products. Stakeholder members are entities that have an interest in BPI’s mission to “promote how compostable products keep organics out of landfills,” notes BPI. “Stakeholder members have voting rights, can join committees, and be elected to the BPI Board.” Examples include brands, retailers, universities, composters, municipalities, restaurants, nongovernmental organizations, labs, distributors and manufacturers.
“We’re looking to bring more organizations to the table as we discuss key challenges, make decisions for the organization, and decide how to engage on key issues,” explains Wendell Simonson, BPI’s Marketing Director. “Composters and municipalities are free for the first year.”