Due to the growing urgency of conserving resources and minimising environmental impact, the issue of recycling substances and materials has increasingly become the focus of environmental and resource protection. In particular, the recycling of plastics and the use of plastic recyclates play a decisive role, as plastics are a major source of environmental pollution and their production is associated with considerable resource consumption and environmental pollution.
Quality labels such as the 'Blue Angel', the German government's environmental label, promote recycling and the use of recycled materials through specific requirements in the award criteria for environmental labels, which are developed by the Federal Environment Agency. Alternative testing and verification procedures are required in order to be able to check and validate compliance with the award criteria more reliably. As there is currently no recognised chemical or physical verification that precisely determines the recyclate content and properties in plastic products, certificates from external third parties are generally required. The potential value of such certification schemes is that they can take over the complex process of tracking and provide independent confirmation of recycled content.
There are numerous certification systems, some of which certify different (partial) aspects in the field of plastics recycling and are therefore eligible for different verifications. It is therefore important to check exactly which certification systems are suitable for which certificates. Last but not least, it is crucial that the certification bodies are trustworthy and reliable, check the criteria conscientiously and have robust processes to ensure the credibility of the certificates and ultimately the quality labels themselves (e.g. 'Blue Angel').
In the course of the project, a comprehensive research, analysis and evaluation of certification systems for recycled plastics will be carried out. A central aim of the project is to enable a simple and quick comparison of the identified, analysed and evaluated certification systems. With this in mind, a comprehensive overview of the schemes will be created, showing which aspects of the recycled plastics value chain are covered by the respective certifications and how. In addition, the trustworthiness of the identified certification systems will be examined, particularly with regard to the control mechanisms used, and the experience gained with practical implementation.
Ecologic Institute is coordinating the project and is significantly involved in all work packages.