The BRCGS packaging materials standard is the certification scheme that European retailers most often name when they ask who audited the plant that made the packaging. It applies to packaging manufacturers - plastic moulders, thermoformers, converters, printers and carton makers - rather than to the food and beverage companies that fill the packs. For buyers sourcing plastic components, trays and closures, reading a supplier's brcgs packaging certificate correctly is a practical sourcing skill. This guide explains what the standard covers, how the audit runs and which documents to request before approving a supplier.
What the BRCGS packaging materials standard covers
The standard, published by BRCGS and benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative, applies to any site that manufactures packaging materials regardless of substrate - plastic, paper, board, metal or glass. Issue 6 became mandatory for new audits in February 2020 and tightened several clauses: corrective and preventive action with root-cause analysis became a fundamental requirement, the old high- and low-hygiene categories were replaced by a risk-based approach, and product safety culture moved from an optional topic to an assessed one. The technical backbone is a hazard and risk analysis (HARA) built on Codex Alimentarius principles. For plastic packaging the hazards that matter are chemical migration into food, contamination and foreign bodies, so moulders are audited on resin control, machine lubricants, regrind handling, print-ink migration and artwork control.
BRCGS Packaging is a safety standard, not a quality standard - it does not replace ISO 9001, and the audit grade says nothing about dimensional capability.
| Scheme | What it proves | Typical buyer use |
|---|---|---|
| BRCGS Packaging Materials | Safety and legality of packaging made at a specific site | Retail and food-brand supplier approval |
| ISO 9001 | Consistency of the quality management system | General vendor qualification |
| BRCGS Food Safety / ISO 22000 | Safety of the food process itself | Approving food manufacturers, not pack makers |
How the audit is structured
The standard is built on six chapters: senior-management commitment, hazard and risk management, the product safety and quality management system, site standards, product and process control, and personnel. Audits run annually - unannounced visits are an option buyers can specify - and the site receives a grade from AA down to D based on the number and severity of non-conformances. A traceability exercise with a mock recall is standard, and the brcgs certification is valid for twelve months per site. Certified sites appear in the BRCGS Directory, which is where a buyer should confirm a claim rather than relying on a scanned PDF. Material-level obligations sit alongside the site audit: food-contact packs still need declarations under the applicable food-contact rules.
What buyers should ask for
- The certificate itself: scope statement, site address, standard issue, grade and expiry date.
- HARA summary and migration data for any food-contact pack or component.
- Traceability and corrective-action evidence, showing mock-recall results and closure of past findings.
- Directory verification: check the BRCGS Directory entry matches the factory that will actually produce.
Where BRCGS fits with other schemes
Packaging certification complements - never replaces - material compliance. US retail still expects FDA-listed food-contact materials, the EU framework regulation applies to EU-market packs, and ISO 14001 covers the environmental management side that brand audits increasingly ask about. Useful background sits in our food-grade packaging certification guide, the FDA food contact guide and the ISO 14001 certification article. Audited supplier profiles are listed in the factory directory.
Red flags before you approve a supplier
- Certificate scope excludes the product family or the site that will actually supply.
- An expired certificate - validity is twelve months and lapses are common between audit cycles.
- A grade history of repeated B or C results without evidence of closed corrective actions.
- Refusal to accept an unannounced audit where the buyer's own policy requires one.
Related product categories
The materials and part types discussed above are grouped in our sourcing directory:
