ICL Ahead of the Game

Supporting EU’s New Biodegradability Criteria

ICL Group, a leading global specialty minerals company, commends the European Commission’s Delegated Act on biodegradability criteria for coating agents and water retention polymers, recently published in the EU Official Journal. This landmark regulation sets a new standard for sustainable plant nutrition within the European Union, emphasizing the crucial role of controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) in optimizing crop nutrition while minimizing environmental impact.

CRFs are widely used in ornamental horticulture, professional turf management, and are increasingly applied in agriculture. By delivering nutrients in a controlled manner, CRFs enhance crop yields and quality while significantly reducing nutrient loss.

The new EU criteria mandate that CRFs must be biodegradable across different environments within a specified timeframe, while ensuring they maintain their functional effectiveness as stated on the product label. To achieve this, biodegradability will be evaluated through a series of standardized tests.

Pioneering Biodegradable Technologies

These new biodegradability criteria will apply to all CRFs sold within the EU starting from October 17, 2028. In anticipation of this, ICL Group, a company that is deeply committed to creating innovative and sustainable solutions for the world’s biggest challenges in food security and agriculture, has already developed a new type of controlled-release fertilizers known as eqo.x and eqo.s that use a first-of-its-kind biodegradable release technology and will meet all the new EU Commission’s criteria.

“The European Commission’s Delegated Act establishes clear, ambitious, and effective biodegradability criteria for CRFs,” stated Gustavo Vasques, SVP ICL Europe “This provides much needed clarity and certainty for the entire industry and value chain, allowing us to continue investing in innovative plant nutrition solutions.”

Granules of the Agrocote CRF fertilizer with the new eqo.x technology

ICL’s Dedication to Industry Leadership

To align with these new EU criteria, ICL has also invested heavily in its production facility in Heerlen, the Netherlands, expanding its production lines dedicated to advanced biodegradable coatings. This investment demonstrates ICL’s commitment to advancing sustainable agricultural practices and to continue to lead the industry with sustainable, high-performance, and cost-effective solutions for growers.