As part of its commitment to support customers in the drive towards a circular economy and reduction in carbon footprint, Berry Global’s European flexible films division is adopting a standard approach to substantiate its recycled content claims, including for its Sustane® range of premium sustainable polymers made from 100% recycled plastic.

Berry is obtaining independent accreditation via EUCertPlast and RecyClass to ensure complete integrity, consistency, transparency, traceability and accurate accounting.

The third-party accreditations will provide customers with full reassurance as to the quality and authenticity of the recycled content present in Berry products. They form a key part of the company’s ambitious target to include at least 30% recycled content across its flexible films product range by 2025, as well as the group-wide commitment to include at least 10% post-consumer recycled (PCR) in all its packaging products by the same date.

“As the use of recycled material increases across Europe, third party accreditation will play a vital role in ensuring the necessary transparency and consistency,” commented Tony Nawar. VP Sustainability, Strategy & Innovation. “This is why we are actively accrediting both our sites and our products through recognised and respected bodies.”

EUCertPlast certification, which works to the European Standard EN 15343:2007, confirms that best practices are being followed throughout the recycling process for pre- and post-consumer waste. It covers stock management of incoming waste, the recycling process, quality management, staff training and qualifications, traceability in the supply chain and environmental protection. For complete customer peace of mind, the chain of custody provides full details of the origins of the waste material and the waste management company from which it was sourced.

Berry’s three recycling operations at Heanor and Dumfries in the UK, and Steinfeld in Germany, have already achieved EUCertPlast accreditation for all the different recycled grades produced across these facilities, including the market leading Sustane®. The remainder of the company’s flexible film manufacturing and recycling facilities are currently undergoing the accreditation process.

RecyClass, which also works to EN 15343:2007, is a comprehensive cross-industry initiative that advances plastic packaging recyclability and ensures traceability and transparency of recycled plastic content in Europe. RecyClass recycled content certification provides independent confirmation of the reliability of recycled content claims for individual products, again delivering customer reassurance.

Berry products which have already achieved RecyClass certification include Sustane® Form Fill and Seal Petro products manufactured at its site in Hardenberg, the Netherlands.

“The availability of high-quality circular resins is critical to companies as they seek to introduce more sustainable packaging to satisfy legislative requirements and consumer demand,” said Tony Nawar.

“By committing to independent, third-party accreditations for all our recycled materials, we can effectively demonstrate their quality and validity as we work with our customers in the development of appropriate solutions.”