Standards Development

Scope

This document specifies the basic principles, general requirements, planning, operation, evaluation, improvement and reporting for the application of chain of custody for the traceability of recycled materials and products thereof.

This document is applicable to the traceability management of recycled materials and products thereof among upstream and downstream value chain actors through the application of chain of custody. It may also serve as a basis for third-party conducting evaluation of recycled materials and products thereof.

Purpose

As sustainability gains global traction, the need to understand the origin of materials and products, along with their production and processing conditions, has become increasingly critical. Manufacturers, traders and end users alike require transparent and reliable information to support claims regarding the recycled content of materials and products, to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements, and to meet growing market demand for sustainable solutions.

ISO 22095 establishes a comprehensive framework of chain of custody models and harmonized terminology applicable across all sectors. However, it remains at a horizontal level and does not address the specific operational complexities inherent to recycled material flows. These include the diversity of waste sources, multi-step conversion processes, and the frequent co processing of recycled and virgin inputs within the same production facilities. Without tailored provisions, organizations face practical difficulties in applying chain of custody models consistently and effectively in the recycling context.

This document fills that gap by transforming the chain of custody framework into a concrete, implementable methodology for the traceability management of recycled materials and products thereof. It achieves this through the widely recognized Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) cycle, which provides a systematic and disciplined approach to planning, implementation, verification, and continual improvement.

The document establishes clear requirements for each phase of the traceability management process. It defines roles and responsibilities across the value chain, sets traceability objectives with recycled content as a core indicator, and provides specific calculation methods for conversion factors and recycled content. It ensures that chain of custody models are applied with appropriate integrity, requiring that upstream actors maintain a level of physical separation no lower than that of their downstream partners. It mandates regular inspection, including quarterly inventory reconciliation and mass balance verification, as well as annual internal audits and management reviews. Finally, it embeds a mechanism for continual improvement, enabling organizations to adapt to evolving technologies, regulatory requirements, and industry practices.

By providing a common methodology and a shared toolset, this document enhances interoperability across different value chain segments, supports credible and verifiable claims regarding recycled content, facilitates efficient third party evaluation, and reduces barriers to trade. It complements ISO 22095 by operationalizing its models for the specific context of recycled materials, thereby giving regulators a clear basis for compliance, providing industry with practical guidance, and building trust among end users in recycled content claims.

During earlier discussions, some experts also raised concerns that introducing the PDCA cycle would make this proposal look like a management system standard. In response, we would like to clarify as follows:

1. The core subject of this proposal is chain of custody for recycled materials and products thereof, and its core objective is to ensure traceability of recycled content claims.

2. This proposal adopts a "management-system-like structure," using the PDCA cycle to organize the traceability process, and using objectives, responsibilities, procedures, internal audits, management reviews, and improvement to ensure that the traceability process remains continuously effective.

3. However, this proposal is not an "management system standard," because:

- it does not manage the organization as a whole: it only manages the traceability process;

- it does not establish organization-level policies: it only establishes traceability management objectives;

- the object of its internal audit and management review is the traceability management process, not the organization as a whole.