A product family must be a technically coherent group under Recycled Plastics Traceability. Document each product, line, formulation, input origin and recycled content. A shared brand or customer is insufficient, and grouping does not justify averaging away lower values.
Do dozens of commercial product codes always mean dozens of separate products in the certification scope?
Not always. RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability Certification allows a Family of Products meeting defined similarity criteria. These include the same processing technology and line, similar formulation and application, and materials from the same waste origin. A family is not a way to combine arbitrary codes or average their claims.
1. A product family is an object of assessment
RecyClass allows certification of a product, component or family of products. In each case, the exact object of conformity assessment must be clearly described.
An internal family name is insufficient. The group must match the certification scheme's definition and underlying criteria.
2. The definition combines several criteria
The Audit Scheme defines a family using the same processing technology and production line, similar formulations and applications, and materials with the same waste origin.
There is no single stand-alone condition. Greater technological and material differences between product codes weaken the basis for a shared scope.
3. The same production line matters for traceability
Products made on different lines may use different dosing, storage or traceability arrangements and therefore different evidence systems. A shared family would require particular care.
The family concept should simplify the description of a coherent group while keeping the actual production processes transparent.
4. Similar formulation does not mean an identical recipe
Small differences in colour, additives or dimensions may still fit a coherent family if they do not materially change the traceability and recycled content model.
If one product contains 80% PCR and another 20%, or if one uses Recycled Input of a different origin, the suitability of the similar-formulation criterion needs to be assessed.
5. Waste origin should remain consistent
The product family definition refers to materials from the same waste origin. Grouping can be misleading if some products use PCR and others PreCR, or if a different material source requires different evidence.
This is particularly relevant when the certificate and claim distinguish post-consumer from pre-consumer recycled content.
6. The family's recycled content must be described correctly
The Audit Scheme requires products or families to be listed in the Audit Report and Summary Sheet with the relevant percentages. The result must reflect actual recycled content.
A product family does not justify averaging high and low values across products merely to obtain an attractive percentage.
7. An example of a coherent family
A company produces three PP crate variants on the same line, using the same technology, closely similar recipes, the same certified Recycled Input and similar applications. The main differences are size and colour.
This group may be a suitable candidate for assessment as a product family, provided actual records and the scheme's requirements confirm the coherence of the scope.
8. An example of risky grouping
A company wants to group an injection-moulded PP container with PE film made on another line, using a different recycled-material supplier and PCR level.
A shared customer or brand does not make these products a family within the scheme's meaning.
9. Preparing a product-family table
A useful table can include the product code, line, technology, main polymer, formulation, Recycled Input, waste origin, application, minimum recycled content and volume.
This helps identify coherent groups before the audit and shows which products should remain separate.
10. Changes after certification may affect the family
If some products move to a different line, use a different supplier or waste origin, or undergo a substantial formulation change, the effect on the previously defined family must be assessed.
The certificate scope should reflect the actual situation rather than an outdated portfolio structure.
FAQ
Can all products for one customer form a product family?
No. The customer or brand alone is insufficient; the scheme's technological and material criteria matter.
Must every product in a family have identical recycled content?
The scheme requires accurate reporting of the percentages for products or families. A family must not be used to justify artificial averaging.
Can colour vary?
Grouping may be possible if the other criteria remain similar and the difference does not materially change the process or claim. The assessment depends on the specific case.
Can a family cover several production lines?
The definition specifies the same line. Unrestricted grouping across different lines should therefore not be assumed.
Are Product Family and Equivalent Packaging the same?
No. Product Family relates to Recycled Plastics Traceability, whereas Equivalent Packaging is used in the different context of RecyClass Recyclability.