Proving recycled content

ISCC PLUS or recycled content certification? Which proof covers what?

Both systems can form part of the same chain of evidence, but they answer different certification questions. ISCC PLUS is an internationally established chain-of-custody system for alternative and circular feedstocks. flustix RECYCLED is not merely a consumer trustmark but an independent third-party certification system evidencing the recycled content of recyclates, semi-finished goods, products and packaging, based on DIN EN 15343 and DIN EN ISO 22095. The certified share may additionally be communicated on the goods themselves.

For manufacturers, brand owners and procurement teams who must prove recycled content.

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Circular flow of recycled plastic granulate

First of all

We are not rating ISCC PLUS

ISCC PLUS is an established chain-of-custody system and delivers what it promises. This page does not question it and compares no quality. It answers only the question we are asked most often: which proof covers what. Anyone who knows both systems will find nothing here that talks either of them down.

Side by side

Two systems, two questions

Each row puts the same question to both systems. There are no ticks and no winner, because the two do not measure the same thing.

ISCC PLUS

Chain-of-custody certification of alternative feedstock flows

Answers the question: Is the material flow certified and accounted for without gaps along the supply chain?
What is assessed: Certified material flows along the chain, via physical segregation, controlled blending or mass balance
Basis: Its own system rules, conformity assessed by accredited bodies
Result: A certificate per site, proof for the next step in the chain
Read by: Procurement, compliance, business partners
Typical use: Raw material, granulate, semi-finished goods, between businesses

flustix RECYCLED

Certification of the recycled content of defined goods

Answers the question: How much recycled content is verifiably in these specifically defined goods?
What is assessed: The defined goods themselves, evidenced through supplier certificates and traceability along the chain
Basis: DIN EN 15343, ISO 22095 and DIN EN ISO 14021, assessed by certification bodies accredited to ISO/IEC 17065
Result: A certificate with a percentage and a trustmark that may go on the product
Read by: Retail, consumers, market surveillance
Typical use: Recyclate, granulate, semi-finished goods, product, packaging

The difference therefore is not between supply chain and product, but in the subject of certification. ISCC PLUS certifies the material flow within a chain of custody. flustix RECYCLED certifies the declared recycled content of specifically defined goods and links it to the underlying chain-of-custody evidence.

Decision aid

What do you need for what?

Three cases where the answer is clear.

You supply material to other businesses

Then you need chain-of-custody evidence so that your customer can substantiate where the material came from. flustix RECYCLED also certifies recyclates, granulates and semi-finished goods, not only the finished product. What you need in addition depends on what your customer in turn has to produce.

You sell a product to end customers and want the recycled content on the pack

Then you need product-related proof. Since 27 September 2026 every environmental claim must be substantiated, and only a mark backed by a certification system with third-party verification may be used. That is exactly what flustix RECYCLED is.

You already have ISCC PLUS in your supply chain

Then that groundwork is valuable. For a specifically declared recycled content we assess which existing chain-of-custody and certification evidence can be carried over, and which additional assessment the flustix RECYCLED certification requires. Existing evidence is used instead of building structures twice.

Earlier work counts

What we recognise

Anyone already certified does not start over with us. Our certification scheme names EuCertPlast and RecyClass explicitly: their certificates for recycled plastics in the form of products, semi-finished goods, granulates or flakes are recognised as proof. Which further systems qualify we clarify case by case, before you submit anything.

How the assessment works

Frequently asked

What we get asked

Is ISCC PLUS enough to prove recycled content?

That depends on what is required. For allocating material flows within the supply chain, ISCC PLUS is the fitting evidence. Where a regulation or a customer asks for the recycled content of specifically defined goods, you need evidence whose subject is exactly those goods and exactly that share. An ISCC PLUS certificate is neither automatically a precondition for that nor automatically sufficient.

Does the proof count for taxes and EPR fees?

What counts is not how well known a system is, but whether the evidence meets what the respective market requires. Spain has recognised recycled content for the plastic tax since 1 January 2024 only with a certificate from an accredited body to UNE-EN 15343. In France the eco-organismes have paid the recycled content bonus since 1 January 2026 only against independent, accredited evidence with a traceable chain of custody. Neither prescribes a particular system mark, but an accredited assessment on that standard basis. That is precisely what flustix RECYCLED is built for.

Can we bring in an existing certificate?

Certificates from EuCertPlast and RecyClass are explicitly provided for in the scheme. For other systems we look at the documents beforehand and tell you what is missing before an assessment starts.

Who actually does the assessment?

Not us. flustix owns the scheme, conformity is assessed by certification bodies accredited to ISO/IEC 17065, and the measurements come from laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. That separation is why the mark holds up under EmpCo.

The detailed answer, including GRS and RCS

Free EmpCo Claim Check

Do your environmental claims hold up under the new rules?

From 27 September 2026, EmpCo brings markedly stricter requirements for environmental claims and sustainability labels: claims must be specific, verifiable and substantiated. Send us up to five of your claims and we will set out which of them already hold, which should be made more precise and where independent evidence is advisable or required. You receive a written assessment as a PDF within two to three working days. Free of charge and without obligation.

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Packaged products whose environmental claims are being checked

Not sure what applies to you?

We will tell you which proof is enough

Twenty minutes is usually plenty. Bring what you already have, and afterwards you will know what is still missing.

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