This definitions and standards toolkit for policymakers is based on the SMEP Report “Reduction Management: Regional policies and standards on biodegradation and compostability in East and West Africa”.

Developed by UNCTAD, the following list of recommended definitions has been based on the assessment of the most appropriate definitions in state-of-the-art standards, especially ISO standards (whose definitions are publicly available on ISO Online Browsing Platform) and CEN standards, as well as ambitious legislation relating to single-use plastics, looking at the European Union’s legal framework.