There are fewer than 20 facilities worldwide that use chemical approaches to recycling plastics, but dozens more are planned. A new standard advocates environmental and social practices for operating these sites.
The Certification Standard for Responsible Chemical Recycling (a.k.a. SCS-004) was written by SCS Standards and Assurance Systems, building on work initiated by industry group Circle (formerly the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network). Chemical recyclers, multinational brands, startups and NGOs had a voice in its creation.
Chemical recycling promises to expand the range of materials that can be recycled, but the practice is controversial, in part, because it uses high amounts of energy and requires close attention to water impacts and waste management.
SCS-004 covers operational processes that chemical recyclers (sometimes referred to as advanced recyclers) use to convert contaminated or hard-to-recycle materials such as tires, flexible plastics or textiles into a reusable form. Those technologies include pyrolysis, depolymerization, solvolysis, methanolysis and gasification.
The framework includes human rights considerations and allows for several “chain of custody” models, including mass balance, which recyclers use to track incoming recovered materials and link them to specific outputs.
“Brands are under real pressure to deliver on recycled-content commitments, and chemical recycling is part of how that gets done,” said Victoria Norman, executive director of SCS Standards and Assurance Systems. “But we need to have confidence that the recycling process is done in a responsible way.”
More scrutiny needed
The term chemical recycling covers a vast array of approaches. “Some are part of the solution and worth scaling,” said Mikhail Davis, director of global market sustainability at Interface. “Others use more energy and can create more waste or byproducts. The challenge is knowing which is which.”
For example, carpet maker Interface uses depolymerization technology from Aquafil to turn nylon waste such as fishing nets into high-performing recycled yarn that has a lower impact than virgin production.
The new SCS standard can help companies seeking to increase the recycled content in their products begin to distinguish revolutionary beneficial approaches from processes that are close to combustion-based technologies, Davis said.
Certifications incoming
SCS-004 is one of several emerging chemical recycling standards. For example, the International Organization for Standardization has introduced a broader standard for companies in the recycling and recovery sector, as well as rules for chain of custody systems including mass balance.
ASTM International, Association of Plastic Recyclers, International Sustainability & Carbon Certification, UL Solutions and the European Committee for Standards have published related guidelines, although none are explicitly focused on chemical recycling.
“Taken together, these standards and guidance documents help companies demonstrate their alignment with best practice,” said Julia Farber, senior sustainability manager for circular economy at Eastman, which operates the world’s largest molecular recycling plant in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Eastman participates in many different certification systems; multiple frameworks are often needed to cover different practices.
“When we are certified, we follow the guidelines of the certification programs we participate in and adhere to the best practices for truthfully communicating these accomplishments provided by the regulatory bodies,” Farber said.
The SCS certification arm, a separate division from its standards organization, has launched a program for chemical recyclers interested in being certified in the new standard.
To earn the core certification, chemical recyclers must publish site-specific information about their operating and environmental permits, along with emissions information about pollutants such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter, as well as the greenhouse gases produced at the site.
Recyclers can earn higher levels of recognition for meeting optional criteria, such as sharing annual conversion rate data or life-cycle assessments. The certifications are valid for three years, verified by annual audits.
