In a nutshell, the term ‘Biodegradable’ refers to a product's ability to gradually degrade into elements found in nature. There is no set period of time in which a substance designated as biodegradable must degrade; instead, the biodegradation process and timeframe depend on the surrounding environmental variables (such as location or temperature). A product is said to be compostable if it can be used as soil in 180 days after it has decomposed in a commercial composting facility into elements found in nature. The key distinction between a product that can be certified compostable and one that is biodegradable is the timeframe. Not all plant-based plastics are biodegradable, and not all biodegradable plastics are compostable.

Due to its widespread availability corn is currently the primary raw material used by EcoBharat. In actuality, less than 1% of the world's corn supply is consumed each year by bioplastics. Compared to the 33% of food that is wasted annually, Plant-based plastics have very little of an effect on the food supply.