BS EN 15343:2007 Plastics. Recycled plastics. Plastics recycling traceability and assessment of conformity and recycled content
BS EN 15343 is the European standard that specifies the procedures needed for the traceability of recycled plastics. This gives the basis for the calculation procedure for the recycled content of a product.
This standard is applicable without prejudice to any existing legislation. The procedures are needed to formulate or describe the traceability, while the traceability can be used as a basis for calculating the recycled content.
Recycling of plastics waste is one type of material recovery process intended to save resources (virgin raw materials, water, and energy), while minimising harmful emissions into air, water and soil as well as any impacts on human health. The environmental impact of recycling has to be assessed over the whole life cycle of the recycling system (from the waste generation point to the disposal of final residues). To ensure that recycling constitutes the best environmental option for treating the available waste, some prerequisites should preferably be met:
- Recycling scheme being contemplated should generate lower environmental impacts than alternative recovery options
- Existing or potential market outlets should be identified that will secure a sustainable industrial recycling operation
- Collection and sorting schemes should be properly designed to deliver recyclable plastics waste fractions fitting reasonably well with the available recycling technologies and with the (changing) needs of the identified market outlets, preferably at minimum costs to society.
This standard has been produced in accordance with the guidance produced by CEN on Environmental Aspects and in accordance with CEN/TR 15353 Plastics. Recycled Plastics. Guidelines for the development of standards relating to recycled plastics.
CEN/TR 15353 considers the general environmental aspects that are specific to the recycling process.
Legislation, international standards or end users may require traceability of the constituent components of products in order to allow better product control or to locate and withdraw unwanted material and/or defective products from the market. The purpose of this standard is to describe the necessary procedures for mechanical recycling that are needed for products that have been manufactured completely or in part from recycled plastics and need proof of traceability. It will enable producers to use the recycled materials with confidence and it will provide the end users with a basis for their acceptance.
However, it is often impossible to trace back each individual product at the end user stage and to check the use of the product through its life. Consequently, products are out of industrial control for a period of time. During this period, contamination with other materials may occur that could affect the product's suitability for recycling into the intended applications. In that case, the recyclers have two options. Either their input control or sorting equipment guarantee that contaminants do not enter the recycling process or the recyclers must use a qualified process in which the pollution and/or mixed materials are removed to such levels that they do not affect the intended application for the recycled material.
In addition, during processing and use of the original product, chemical or structural changes in the material, may have occurred. In that case, the recyclers can recycle into new materials with reduced properties, they can try to repair the material damage, or they enhance the material properties by addition of virgin components or additives.
A recycling process should be designed such that contaminants or material damage that might have an influence on the intended application are removed or repaired to such an extent that they will not negatively influence the suitability of the recycled material for the intended application. If such contamination or damage cannot be removed or repaired during recycling, the purchase and/or control of the incoming materials should guarantee that contaminated or damaged material does not enter the process in sufficient quantity to affect the properties of the recyclate.
Controls of the input material, of the recycling process and of the material produced are the prime instruments that determine the quality of recycled products.
If the origin of all the component parts of a product, virgin as well as recyclates, is known, it is possible to calculate the recycled content of the product, a value which may be required by customers or regulators.
Contents of BS EN 15343 include:
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Scope
- Normative references
- Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms
- Methodology and procedures
- Control of input material
- Control of the recyclate production process
- Plastics recyclate characterisation
- Traceability
- Quality assurance
- Recycled content
- Bibliography
See other standards for recycled plastics:
BS EN 15342:2007 Plastics. Recycled plastics. Characterization of polystyrene (PS) recyclates
BS EN 15344:2007 Plastics. Recycled plastics. Characterization of polyethylene (PE) recyclates
BS EN 15345:2007 Plastics. Recycled plastics. Characterization of polypropylene (PP) recyclates
BS EN 15347:2007 Plastics. Recycled Plastics. Characterization of plastics waste