Industry
Demand for recycled plastic packaging is rising as environmental regulations tighten. Recyclers and plastics manufacturers must demonstrate compliance across the value chain and a functioning circular economy requires international trade in recycled materials and products manufactured from recycled materials.
Recycled plastics imported into the EU must therefore meet EU rules to protect consumers and ensure a level playing field.
For food-contact uses, safety hinges on controlling contamination risk from recycled plastics. The EU Recycled Food Contact Plastics Regulation requires end-to-end process control supported by an independently audited and certified quality assurance system.
However, industry capacity is currently limited by the lack of recognised audit protocols.
Working with Bantam Materials (Prevented Ocean Plastic), a UK-based company focused on sustainability and plastics recycling- particularly plastics collected in coastal areas, helping to prevent marine pollution- we have developed the RINA Food Contact Recycled Plastics Audit Protocol.
This new protocol translates EU regulatory requirements into a practical audit framework that can be applied to recycling operations, providing a clear and consistent route to compliance, supporting both EU-based and non-EU recyclers supplying materials to the EU market.
Our experts support compliance for food contact rPET and PET flake, as well as mechanical and novel recycling processes applied to other polymers, including polypropylene and polyethylene.
Built around recent EU guidance and proposed legislative updates, the RINA Food Contact Recycled Plastics Audit Protocol provides an additional protocol option for recycling facilities located both inside and outside of the EU supplying recycled plastics for food-contact packaging placed on the EU market.
