Product Certification & Testing

Are accelerated aging tests actually useful?

Updated:

Direct answer

Yes, but it should not be treated as a perfect prediction of real-time shelf life. Accelerated aging can help identify risks such as: embrittlement; blocking; odor development; seal degradation; color change; loss of elongation; adhesive failure.

Yes, but it should not be treated as a perfect prediction of real-time shelf life.

Accelerated aging can help identify risks such as:

  • embrittlement;
  • blocking;
  • odor development;
  • seal degradation;
  • color change;
  • loss of elongation;
  • adhesive failure.

However, natural-fiber and compostable-polymer systems can respond to heat and humidity in complex ways. The test conditions need to be relevant, and accelerated results should be supported by real-time storage samples.

I would run both:

  1. accelerated conditioning for early risk detection;
  2. retained commercial samples under normal storage for ongoing confirmation.

Shelf-life claims should be based on evidence, not copied from the resin supplier.

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