RecyClass certification for plastics converters
Verify recycled-material origin, traceability through the process and actual content in manufactured products
If a company purchases recycled plastics and uses them in injection moulding, extrusion, blow moulding, thermoforming, film production, compounding or other processes, RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability Certification may be the appropriate scheme.
The scheme is intended for companies further downstream from the recycler
Actual content, not just the planned recipe
The audit assesses whether recipe, dosing and consumption data are consistent with purchases, inventory, production and customer claims.
How to document the flow of Recycled Input and actual recycled content
In practice, certification covers not only the product recipe but the entire physical material flow – from the certified supplier, through storage and dosing, to the finished product and the data communicated to the customer.
Traceability begins before the material reaches the facility. The audit assesses the validity and scope of the supplier certificate and the ability to link specific Recycled Input to purchasing documentation and the appropriate source.
Post-consumer and pre-consumer shares should be determined separately. This may matter to customers because of their own targets, contractual requirements or regulatory obligations.
Recycled Input may be combined with virgin material, masterbatch, additives or fillers as long as the proportions are known and controlled. Certification concerns the physical presence of recycled material in the product, not only an accounting allocation of quantities.
Material codes, labels, batch numbers, big bags, silos, separated areas or ERP should make it possible to link material to the supplier and certificate. The audit may also cover pipes, switching stations, dosing units, recipes and process settings.
The declared value should be based on actual production data. If recycled material is present only in a specific component or layer, the scope of the claim must clearly indicate which part of the product the percentage refers to.
Not every product variant necessarily requires a separate scope. Sufficiently similar products may be covered together as a Family of Products if they meet the scheme conditions and can be reliably managed within a common data system.
The auditor compares purchases of Recycled Input, inventory, consumption, recipes, production, losses and output products. The aim is to verify whether the declared recycled content is feasible at the actual scale of operations.
Start-up material, rejects, off-cuts, scrap and internal regrind do not automatically increase recycled content. Material origin, previous composition and maintained traceability are what matter.
Recycled Plastics Traceability answers how much verified recycled material is present in the product. RecyClass Recyclability is a separate area and concerns the possibility of later collection, sorting and recycling of the final design.
Continuity of information must survive the entire process
Operational data is as important as procedures
The same scheme – a different focus
For a converter, the key focus is process control: recipes, dosing, lines, storage and actual consumption. For a company using recycled plastics, the emphasis may be more on material origin and verification of claims.
Frequently asked questions from converters
Is a supplier certificate enough to declare recycled content?
No. Your own process must demonstrate how much certified material was actually used in specific products.
Does Controlled Blending allow recycled material to be mixed with virgin material?
Yes, provided physical traceability, controlled proportions and appropriate evidence are maintained.
Can several production lines be included in the certification?
The scope is defined based on the actual processes, locations, products and data available for audit.
Would you like to verify the actual recycled content in your products?
Send us information about suppliers, materials, process and products. We will help define the certification scope.