UNE-EN 15343 Plastics - Recycled Plastics - Plastic Recycling Traceability and Compliance and Evaluation of Recycled Content

The standard “UNE-EN 15343 Plastics - Recycled plastics - Plastic recycling traceability and compliance and evaluation of recycled content” developed by the Spanish Standardization Organization (UNE) describes the procedures required for the traceability of recycled plastics. This standard forms the basis of the calculation procedure for the recycled content of a product. Traceability is used as a basis for calculating recycled content, while procedures are needed to formulate or describe traceability.

Essentially, while designing the UNE-EN 15343 standard, the EN 15343 standard, which is a European standard and has the same title, was taken as basis.

According to the Royal Decree on packaging and packaging waste published in Spain, all packaging must be recyclable by 2030. Manufacturers and importers will only be able to place on the market packages that meet the requirements set out in this decree and comply with the relevant standards. Among these standards is the UNE-EN 15343 standard.

Packaging made with non-compostable plastic must be marked to indicate the percentage of recycled material it contains. This information must be documented by an accredited organization in accordance with the UNE-EN 15343 standard.

Accredited organizations certify declarations regarding the recyclability and recycled content rates of products in the entire value chain of the plastic product and recycling sectors in a fair and reliable manner. These organizations operate recycling process traceability certification programs for recycling facilities, including food contact plastics and cosmetics contact plastics.

Certification programs cover the entire value chain in the plastic product and recycling sectors. For this reason, raw material manufacturers, product manufacturers, compound and additive manufacturers, recycling facilities and brand owners can apply for certification programs.

In short, the UNE-EN 15343 standard includes the procedures required for traceability of recycled plastics. This forms the basis of the calculation procedure for the recycled content of a product, enabling manufacturers to use recycled materials safely.

In certification studies, first of all, the origin of post-consumer recycled material is checked. Then, the main processes applied by the organization in the manufacturing of the products within the scope of certification are analyzed and especially the control of the equipment that fixes the dosages during the production process is emphasized. Finally, the calculation protocol applied by the organization to determine the percentage of recycled material included in the products is audited and verified to provide the necessary confidence through periodic checks. Thus, over time, it is documented that the products marketed effectively contain the declared minimum values.

Plastic recycling reduces the need to extract new raw materials from the ground, as it reuses already processed materials and preserves natural resources. This can help reduce the emission of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. It also prevents more garbage from being added to landfills.

A lot of oil is used in plastic production. Although fossil fuels are used in recycling, this is significantly less than the amount used to produce new plastics. Reduced oil consumption also means reduced carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions when producing new plastics. Recycling also reduces pollution caused by burning waste. On the other hand, recycling more plastic means less of it ends up in landfills. This way, less plastic accumulates in landfills and emissions of common landfill gases such as carbon dioxide and methane decrease.

Among the numerous testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides testing services in accordance with the UNE-EN 15343 standard, with a trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.