G/TBT/N/EGY/402  
9 February 2024  
(24-1100) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  EGYPT  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:   
Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality  
16 Tadreeb El -Modarrebeen St., Ameriya, Cairo – Egypt  
E-mail: eos@idsc.net.eg  / eos.tbt@eos.org.eg  
Website: http://www.eos.org.eg  
Tel.: + (202) 22845528  
Fax: + (202) 22845504  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], 3.2 [  ], 7.2 [  ], 
other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Sacks. 
Bags (ICS code(s): 55.080)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified docume nt: Draft of 
Egyptian standard for "Packaging - Requirements and test scheme for carrier bags 
suitable for treatment in well -managed home composting installations"; (40 page(s), in 
Arabic)  
6. Description of content:  This draft of Egyptian standard specifi es a testing scheme and 
requirements for the designation of carrier bags of any materials that are considered to 
be suitable for incorporation into well -managed home composting installations for non -
commercial purposes with a home composting cycle of norma lly at least 12 months. 
Carrier bags are considered as home compostable in a well -managed system only if all 
the individual components meet the requirements.  
The following four aspects are addressed:  
a )Characterization;  
b) Biodegradation in well managed home composting;  
c) Disintegration in well managed home composting; and  
d) Home compost quality.  
The four aspects, a) to d), are assessing the effects on the biological treatment process 
and the compost made by it.  G/TBT/N/EGY/402  
 
- 2 - 
 
  This document forms the basis for  the labelling of carrier bags that are considered to be 
suitable for the incorporation into well -managed home composting installations.  
NOTE 1: Compliance with the requirements of this standard by the carrier bags entering 
the compost does not necessarily  imply that a high -quality compost will be produced.  
This standard covers the suitability of carrier bags for the incorporation into well managed 
home composting installations but does not address regulations that may exist regarding 
the suitability of any thing disposed together with the carrier bag to home composting.  
This standard provides a set of guidance on the parameters, boundaries and processes 
required to engage in well managed, aerobic, home composting. Alternative composting 
methods and systems m ay not provide the conditions necessary for the successful home 
composting of carrier bags which comply with the requirements of this standard.  
The testing scheme and the requirements specified by this standard do not apply to worm 
composting, industrial c omposting nor community composting. It also does not provide 
information on the biodegradability of carrier bags ending up in the environment as litter.  
The compost produced via home composting by a private individual is for private use only 
and not for provision to others, free of charge or in return for payment. Therefore, this 
standard has no value as a marketing authorization or authorization of use of the final 
compost.  
NOTE 2: The testing scheme and evaluation criteria could be the basis for the 
establishment of suitability to home composting of other products.  
NOTE 3: The purpose of testing activity b) is to demonstrate the potential for ultimate 
biodegradation of the test material when exposed to microbes active under mesophilic 
conditions (between  15 °C and 45 °C).  
NOTE 4: The purpose of testing activity c) is to verify the thickness and/or grammage 
that allows a full disintegration of the test product in a period consistent with a home 
composting cycle, under defined environmental conditions. To a llow for the potential for 
variations of local climatic conditions and consumer application of well -managed home 
composting techniques, lower than optimal temperature profile has been adopted for this 
test. 
Worth mentioning is that this draft standard is t echnically identical with EN 17427:2022  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Protection of the environment; Quality requirements  
8. Relevant documents:   
EN 17427:2022  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from notification  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality  
Address: 16 Tadreeb El -Modarrebeen St., Ameriya, Cairo - Egypt 
E-mail: eos@idsc.net.eg  / eos.tbt@eos.org.eg  
Website: http://www.eos.org.eg  
Tel: + (202) 22845528  
Fax: + (202) 22845504