There is no single, universal “RecyClass certificate”. The appropriate scheme depends on a company's position in the value chain and on what needs to be independently verified.
RecyClass at a glance
RecyClass develops tools, methodologies and certification schemes for the circular use of plastics. For a business, the starting point is to distinguish between four main areas.
RecyClass Sorting Process Certification
This scheme covers an earlier stage of the chain: sorting plastic waste and certain activities of waste traders. It focuses on aspects including waste origin, collection systems, traceability, the quality of separated streams and quantitative data.
RecyClass Recycling Process Certification
This scheme is intended for processes that convert plastic waste into recycled output material. The assessment covers areas including traceability, process operations, quality control, volume reconciliation and the requirements of the relevant additional modules.
RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability Certification
This scheme verifies the downstream flow of recycled material and its actual content in a product or component. Certified suppliers, physical traceability, controlled blending and volume reconciliation are particularly important.
RecyClass Recyclability
This area concerns packaging design. It assesses whether the design is compatible with the relevant collection, sorting and recycling systems. Different RecyClass Recyclability pathways apply depending on the product's development stage and the purpose of the assessment.
How do you choose the right scheme?
The simplest starting point is the input material and the result of the process:
- if the organisation sorts waste, consider Sorting Process;
- if it converts waste into recycled material, consider Recycling Process;
- if it purchases recycled material and uses it further downstream, consider Recycled Plastics Traceability;
- if the aim is to assess packaging design, consider RecyClass Recyclability.
Why does the distinction matter?
Each scheme has its own criteria, documentation, scopes, modules and communication rules. Saying that a company “has RecyClass” without identifying the scheme may be insufficient when qualifying a supplier or assessing a particular material.
Key takeaway
RecyClass should be understood as a set of specialised schemes covering different stages of the plastics value chain, rather than a single certificate with a universal meaning.