EN 15345 - Recycled Plastic - Characterization of Recycled Polypropylene (PP)

EUROLAB laboratory provides testing and compliance services within the scope of EN 15345 standard. The EN 15345 standard defines the method for determining delivery conditions for polypropylene (PP) recycling products. It gives the most important characteristics and relevant test methods for evaluating the recycling of a single batch of PP intended for use in the manufacture of semi-finished/finished products.

It aims to support parties involved in the use of recycled PP to agree on specifications for specific and public applications. This standard does not cover the characterization of plastic waste. This standard is valid without prejudice to any existing legislation.

Recycling of plastic waste is a type of material recovery process that aims to minimize harmful emissions to air, water and soil, as well as impacts on human health, while conserving resources (raw materials, water and energy). The environmental impact of recycling must be evaluated over the entire life cycle of the recycling system (from the point of waste generation to the disposal of final residues). To ensure that recycling constitutes the best environmental option for the treatment of existing waste, preferably certain prerequisites must be met:

• The designed recycling plan should produce lower environmental impacts than the alternatives.
• Existing or potential market places should be identified that will secure a sustainable industrial recycling.
• Collection and sorting schemes should be appropriately designed to deliver fractions of recyclable plastic waste that reasonably fit current recycling technologies and the (changing) needs of identified market outlets, preferably at minimal cost to the community.

It is often impossible to keep track of each product at the end-user stage and to check whether the product has been used correctly throughout its lifetime. As a result, products are out of industrial control for a time. During this time, contamination with other materials may occur, which may affect the product's suitability for recycling for its intended application.

Features of PP Recycling Products

A single batch is the amount of recycling with homogeneous properties within the specified tolerances. In general, the required properties required to characterize PP recycling products and the specified properties are recycled. There are optional features and applications required to characterize PP recycling products to customer specifications.

Plastic waste containing polypropylene or polypropylene may contain various propylene polymers such as homo and copolymers, isotatic, syndiotatic and atatic, and can be used as fillers, fire retardants, etc. It can be with or without them. The performance of recycled materials from such wastes will depend on the relative proportions of these components. To be defined as recycled polypropylene, the recycled material must contain polypropylene as the most important polymeric component.

A Certificate of Analysis providing the test results for each recycling lot will be provided to the buyer by the supplier upon request. To ensure the legal use of recycling, the supplier shall provide the necessary information on the material composition of the recycling products as specified by the buyer.

EUROLAB, with its more than 25 years of experience, state-of-the-art accredited laboratories and expert team, helps you get precise and fast results. Do not hesitate to contact our laboratory for your testing and certification requests.