What is a biobased product?
Find out what biobased products are, what their advantages are, and how manufacturers are integrating them to transform their practices.

Specialist in radiocarbon dating since 2005, CIRAM analyzes, attests, and certifies all of your bio-based products, and particularly your paints, pigments, and varnishes.
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With the rise of green chemistry, bio-based paints are establishing themselves as a sustainable alternative to petrochemical-based paints. To ensure their compliance, several standards and reference frameworks govern their marketing:
Whether you need support for your R&D, to check the quality of your suppliers' products, to measure your finished materials, CIRAM supports you at every stage of your industrial process.
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Radiocarbon dating is based on a simple principle: bio-based materials contain carbon 14, an isotope naturally present in living organisms, while fossil materials are devoid of it. By quantifying this carbon 14 in a sample (binder, pigment, solvent), CIRAM precisely determines its renewable content.
Our team of scientists uses accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), a highly precise method (±0.5%) requiring only a few milligrams of sample.
Attention, some paints contain calcium carbonate of geological origin, devoid of carbon 14. This is counted as fossil material according to the NF EN 16640 standard, which measures the bio-based content relative to the total carbon.
A prior discussion with our teams is therefore recommended in order to interpret the results correctly.
Request a quoteA bio-based certified paint, with a precise percentage of renewable material, clearly highlights the company's environmental efforts.
Thanks to radiocarbon analysis, manufacturers can provide scientific proof of this renewable origin, lending credibility to their marketing communications. This strengthens partner confidence and facilitates the obtaining of environmental labels or private certifications that require quantified data on product composition.
For example, to meet the requirements of the Karibati standard and obtain theBio-based Product label, your paints must contain at least 20% bio-based material.
Data from carbon-14 analysis can be used in CSR reports, carbon footprints, and non-financial performance statements (DPEF). They allow for precise quantification of the renewable share of products and the valorization of decarbonization efforts, particularly concerning indirect Scope 3 emissions.
In an evolving regulatory context, this information strengthens the credibility of our environmental commitments and facilitates dialogue with stakeholders, whether customers or investors.
Carbon 14 analysis of industrial paints is also a strategic tool for research and development teams. By measuring the bio-based content of different formulations, it helps guide the choice of raw materials from the design phase. R&D departments can thus compare several versions of the same product, optimize the formulation to increase the renewable content, or validate the integration of new bio-based resins, fillers, or solvents.
This approach contributes to the development of more sustainable paints, in line with new market expectations and future regulations.
Choosing CIRAM means relying on over 20 years of expertise in radiocarbon dating and analysis to benefit from a rigorous evaluation, compliant with the most demanding standards. Thanks to the use of accelerator mass spectrometry(AMS), CIRAM offers unparalleled precision, even for small-sized samples. This cutting-edge technology allows for the analysis of binders, solvents, and mineral fillers integrated into your paints.
The results delivered are fully usable in a regulatory and certifying framework: the analyses are conducted according to ISO 16620-2 standards and NF EN 16640, widely recognized in the industrial sector and by labeling bodies.
Benefit from the expertise of the European leader in radiocarbon dating and request your study on our website.
Contact our teamsCIRAM uses gas pedal mass spectrometry (AMS) to measure the carbon-14 concentration in paint components (binders, solvents, pigments). This cutting-edge method makes it possible to accurately determine a product's biobased content, even on very small sample quantities.
The main reference standards are :
We can analyze the paint as a whole, or the binders, solvents, fillers or pigments separately.
Results are available within 10 working days.
Simply contact us via our website or by telephone to obtain a quotation and arrange for samples to be sent to our laboratory.
Find out what biobased products are, what their advantages are, and how manufacturers are integrating them to transform their practices.
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