Accreditation scheme EuCertPlas, a joint initiative between Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE, Brussels; www.plasticsrecyclers.eu), the European Association of Plastics Recycling & Recovery Organisations (EPRO, Brussels; www.epro-plasticsrecycling.org), the European Plastics Converters Association (EuPC, Brussels; www.plasticsconverters.eu) and Recovinyl (Brussels; www.recovinyl.com), has launched a food-contact module for plastics recycling processes.

The audit scheme will apply to PET food-contact recycling and HDPE or PP crates and pallets for closed-loop methods. EuCertPlas described the plan as “a vital step on the way towards creating a genuine secondary raw materials market”.

The 40-page document addresses both the legal and technical aspects of the recycling processes, incorporating the requirements that are expected to be included in the next amendment of European Regulation 282/2008 on recycled plastics intended for food contact. The module also integrates procedures and quality management systems that guarantee food contact safety.

Effective 14 September 2020, the module will be applied to any new audit requests or annual monitoring audits of food contact recycling processes.

EuCertPlas said it will implement a one-year transition period for monitoring audits to be adapted to the new module.