We use cookies to give you the best experience and to help improve our website
Find out what cookies we use and how to disable them
Standards Development
The proposed International Standard (IS) will specify a general method for assessing the proportion of recycled material in products. It applies to electrical and electronic products and can also be applied to other product types.
#This horizontal standard is applicable as a framework to be used for defining the assessment of recycled materials content in specific product or product groups. It is not intended to generate publicly available product information or to compare products in the absence of a product standard based on this document.
This standard does not cover aspects such as quality and physical properties of recycled materials. This document does not apply to the assessment of reused components.
NOTE IEC 63333 provides a general method for assessing the proportion of reused components in products.
Environmental aspects become increasingly more important globally, due to the impact of humans on ecosystems, climate change, pollution due to energy production, and depletion of natural resources. Although there are requirements for resource efficiency across most geographies, to date, the focus has been mostly on the energy usage of products, mostly due to absence of adequate metrics, including absence of standards for assessing material efficiency related aspects.
Following the increased focus on circular economy package in Europe and other geographies, the focus on the “preservation of (natural) resources” is getting track and spreading throughout the world. The sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources is addressed by the UN, in particular under the sustainable development goal number 12, Responsible consumption and production, where, by 2030 society is expected to achieve the goal to substantially reduce waste generation through for instance, prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. This document is of direct relevance to this goal, addressing use of recycled materials in products!
The recycled material content of a new product is a characteristic of the product and its parts, which contributes to material efficiency and circularity, in addition to the potentials of reusability, recyclability and recoverability. With a focus on the efficient and effective use of natural resources, primary materials are better substituted by recycled materials, reducing the demand for primary materials, with potentially positive environmental, social and economic implications. These include for instance reduced mining and consumption of natural resources, reduced landfill, reduced emissions and increased energy savings.
This new International Standard is expected to facilitate the provision of substantiated claims of the recycled materials content of products. Key for substantiated claims will be the recognition of the chain of custody (CoC), which allows the tracing of recycled materials from different sources.
You are now following this standard. Weekly digest emails will be sent to update you on the following activities:
You can manage your follow preferences from your Account. Please check your mailbox junk folder if you don't receive the weekly email.
You have successfully unsubscribed from weekly updates for this standard.
Comment on proposal
Required form fields are indicated by an asterisk (*) character.