Standards and certification for recycled plastics

Four layers of standards

When someone says "these pellets meet the standard", ask which layer they mean, because each layer answers a different question:

1. Definitions and claims what counts as recycled material, and how it may be stated on a product (ISO 14021)
2. Chain of custody can the claimed recycled share really be traced back to its source? (GRS, RCS, ISCC PLUS, EuCertPlast / EN 15343)
3. Recyclate properties which properties must be declared, and how they are measured (EN 15344, EN 15345 and ISO test methods)
4. Food-contact safety has the recycling process been assessed for use with food? (EU 2022/1616, US FDA, Thai rules)

ISO 14021: defining the claim

ISO 14021 covers self-declared environmental claims, including "recycled content". What matters most to a buyer of recycled pellets are its definitions:

• Pre-consumer (often called post-industrial) material diverted from the waste stream during manufacturing, before it reaches a consumer, for example scrap from one factory used by another
• Post-consumer material generated by households, or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users, which can no longer be used for its intended purpose
• Not counted rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within that same process. Runners ground and fed back into the same machine are not recycled content

The difference between PIR and PCR is covered in detail in PIR vs PCR.

GRS, RCS and ISCC PLUS: the paper trail

These standards do not measure pellet quality. They verify that the claimed recycled share can be traced back to its source, and every company in the chain that takes ownership of or processes the material has to be audited. If one link has no certificate, the claim breaks at that point.

• RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) from Textile Exchange tracks the recycled share through the chain, and nothing else
• GRS (Global Recycled Standard) from Textile Exchange also tracks the recycled share, and adds social, environmental and chemical requirements for the sites involved. It started in textiles but is also used for plastics and packaging
• ISCC PLUS a chain-of-custody system that supports mass balance, often used for chemically recycled or bio-based feedstock fed into petrochemical plants together with conventional feedstock

What mass balance means. In large continuous processes, recycled feedstock is fed in together with conventional feedstock and cannot be separated afterwards. Mass balance therefore allocates the recycled share to the outputs according to the bookkeeping of what went in. A lot sold as "circular" may contain no recycled molecules at all. That is legitimate under the standard, but the claim has to say it is mass balance, not physical segregation, where the pellets really contain recycled material.

EuCertPlast and EN 15343–15345

• EN 15343 European standard for traceability in plastics recycling and for calculating recycled content
• EuCertPlast a European certification scheme for plastics recyclers that audits the traceability of input and output material, based on EN 15343
• EN 15344 (PE) and EN 15345 (PP) set out which properties of a recyclate should be declared and by which test methods. They are a good framework for a buyer–seller specification even if nothing is shipped to Europe

Food contact

This is entirely separate from recycled content. Pellets with a complete chain-of-custody certificate are not automatically suitable for food. The issue is that contaminants from the previous use may migrate into food.

• European Union: Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 on recycled plastic materials intended to come into contact with food. It sets conditions on the recycling process, including control of the input and a decontamination step that must be assessed
• United States: US FDA publishes guidance on recycled plastics in food packaging. Recyclers may submit their process for review and may receive a "no objection letter", which applies only to the process and the conditions of use submitted, not to recycled pellets in general
• Thailand the Ministry of Public Health has a notification on plastic food containers that allows recycled PET in food contact under set conditions. Requirements and procedures can change, so always check the current notification with the Thai Food and Drug Administration

PCR PP and PE for food contact is very limited. The case with the most assessed processes is rPET from bottles. For post-consumer PP and PE, assessed options are still few. Without approval evidence for that process in the destination market, assume it cannot be used with food.

Test-method standards

A good recycled-pellet specification cites standard test methods so results from different labs can be compared: MFI to ISO 1133 · density to ISO 1183 · ash to ISO 3451 · DSC to ISO 11357 for polymer contamination · OIT for remaining stabiliser · impact to ISO 179 or ISO 180 · colour L*a*b* · odour panel · gel and speck counts on a film or plaque. What each test tells you is set out in the per-lot QC table.

Summary table

What to ask your recycled-pellet supplier

• Is the material pre-consumer or post-consumer under the ISO 14021 definitions, and what kind of source does it come from?
• If a certificate is claimed: does its scope cover the site and the product you buy, when does it expire, and can you verify it with the certification body?
• Is the recycled share physically segregated, or mass balance?
• Is there a written specification with test methods and acceptance ranges?
• Does every lot have a lot number and a CoA, and where are the tests done?
• How long are retain samples kept for each lot?
• Will you be told in advance if the feed source or formulation changes?
• If a lot fails the spec, how are you notified and how is it handled?
• For food contact: which process has been assessed, for which polymer, in which market and under which conditions of use? Ask to see the actual documents

How ACS supports documentation

Circular grades are made in ACS's own plant (up to 3,000 t/year, being expanded) and are co-developed with customers. On documentation, what we can do is:

• A written specification: test items, methods and acceptance ranges, agreed with each customer
• Lot numbers traceable to production date, feed source and formulation
• Test reports from a partner or external lab, or together with the customer's QC

If your brand owner requires a specific certification, such as GRS or ISCC PLUS, or needs food-contact use, raise it at the start. We will tell you honestly what we can and cannot document before you invest time in trials.