Solution: Ok Recycled
Solution: Ok Recycled
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TÜV AUSTRIA Private Certification Scheme – Ok recycled
Using recycled raw materials is essential for reducing environmental impact through lower energy and water use, conserving natural resources, supporting a circular economy, and meeting increasingly strict sustainability regulations that require minimum recycled content in products.
Ok recycled specifies the requirements to calculate the Recycled Content (%) of several products.
Recycled content is increasingly important across multiple industries—including plastics, aluminum, paper, and textiles.
Plastic Industry
Recycled content in plastics refers to the incorporation of recycled raw materials into new products. This practice minimizes environmental impact, conserves valuable resources, and aligns with increasingly stringent sustainability regulations. Regulations mandating minimum recycled content in plastics are becoming increasingly stringent, reflecting the EU’s commitment to advancing circular economy goals and reducing environmental impact.
Key Benefits: Using recycled plastic significantly reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, lowers production and compliance costs, and strengthens brand value by aligning with consumer demand for sustainable products.
Regulatory Landscape:
– Directive (EU) 2019/904, with escalating targets: PET bottles must contain 25% recycled plastic by 2025, all beverage bottles must reach 30% by 2030, and most plastic packaging must achieve 65% recycled content by 2040.
– Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) (EU) 2025/40 will harmonize packaging rules EU-wide, introduce mandatory recycled content targets, require traceability, labeling, and sustainability standards.
Industry Trends:
Driven by regulatory compliance and sustainability goals, companies invest in advanced recycling technologies and adopt closed-loop systems in their production process.
Aluminum industry
Aluminum is one of the most sustainable materials in the packaging world due to its infinite recyclability—it can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality.
Key Benefits: Recycling aluminum offers sustainability advantages— reducing up to 95% of the energy required for primary production, while preserving material integrity, making it ideal for high-performance applications like food and beverage packaging.
Regulatory Landscape: While the regulation does not yet mandate a minimum recycled content for aluminum (as it does for plastics), the economic and environmental incentives are strong. Companies using high-recycled-content aluminum can reduce EPR fees and improve their sustainability ratings.
Industry Trends: Increasingly leverage high recycled content as a competitive advantage, supported by innovations in closed-loop recycling systems that enhance material recovery and reuse efficiency.
Paper Industry
As one of the most established recycling sectors, the paper industry plays a pivotal role in the circular economy, reducing the need for virgin pulp and minimizing environmental impact.
Key Benefits: Recycled paper reduces the demand for virgin wood pulp—preserving forests and biodiversity—while using up to 40% less energy and 50% less water, and offering cost efficiencies during production.
Regulatory Landscape: Under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) 2025/40, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) the paper industry must meet ambitious sustainability targets.
Industry Trend: Driven by sustainability goals and regulatory pressures, the paper industry is embracing trends such as the shift from plastic to fiber-based packaging, innovations in recyclable and compostable coatings, investment in certified recycled fibers and sustainable sourcing, and modernization of recycling infrastructure to handle increasingly complex paper-based formats.
Textiles & Fabrics Industry
The textiles and fabrics industry is undergoing a major transformation toward circularity. Recycled content is becoming a cornerstone of sustainable fashion and industrial fabric production. This shift is driven by environmental concerns, regulatory mandates, and growing consumer demand for Sustainable products.
Key Benefits: Recycled textiles reduce reliance on virgin fibers—conserving water, land, and fossil fuels—while significantly lowering emissions, and enhancing brand value through sustainability and transparency.
Regulatory Landscape: The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, along with updates to the Waste Framework Directive, introduces key measures including mandatory recycled content targets (10% by 2025 and 25% by 2035).
Industry Trends: The textiles industry is embracing circular design for durability and recyclability, advancing mechanical and chemical recycling technologies, promoting second-hand, and aligning globally as similar sustainability regulations emerge across regions.
Why Choose OK Recycled Certification?
OK Recycled, is a forward-looking investment in EU compliance.
- Accreditation: OK Recycled is an accredited Service. Accreditation is a prerequisite for entering certain markets.
- Cross-Industry Expertise: OK Recycled supports certification in plastics, aluminum, paper, and textiles—ensuring consistent quality and traceability across sectors.
- Transparency & Traceability: OK Recycled provides clear documentation and labeling, supporting digital product passports and consumer-facing sustainability claims.
- Competitive Advantage: Certified products stand out in the marketplace, appealing to environmentally conscious consumers and partners.
Additional Certifications offered by TÜV AUSTRIA for the traceability of Recycled plastic under Green Action Services:
- EN 15343: TÜV AUSTRIA offers certification ensuring compliance with EN 15343, promoting the use of recycled plastics as a sustainable alternative for minimizing environmental impact.