DIN EN 15343 recycling documentation has moved from a nice-to-have appendix to a purchase-order condition for European buyers of recycled plastics. The standard, formally titled Plastics - Recycled plastics - Plastics recycling traceability and assessment of conformity and recycled content, does not test product performance. It audits how a recycler or converter proves where recycled material came from and how much of it really exists in the output. Buyers who understand the mechanics can tell a credible EN 15343 file from a marketing claim in one document request.
What DIN EN 15343 Recycling Actually Covers
EN 15343 is a CEN standard aimed at the recycling chain rather than the finished part. It applies to recyclers turning waste into flakes or pellets, to compounders, and to converters who mould recycled content into products. Its two technical pillars are traceability and content assessment: every batch must be traceable back to documented input material, and recycled content must be calculated under defined rules with records to support the number. It says nothing about mechanical properties, migration limits or food-contact approval, so it never replaces product standards or REACH obligations.
Traceability: The First Pillar of the Plastics Recyclers Standard
Traceability starts at the input gate. A recycler must record the source of each waste stream - industrial, commercial or post-consumer - with supplier documentation, transport records and intake inspections retained for audit. From there, batch coding has to follow the material through sorting, washing, drying, extrusion and dispatch so that an auditor can trace any output lot back to its inputs. The most common failure in first audits is not the sorting line but the paperwork: purchase contracts without process records, or batch codes that reset each month.
- Unique batch identity from intake to dispatch, with volumes reconciling at each step
- Segregated storage and separate production runs for PCR and PIR streams
- Process parameters recorded for washing, drying and extrusion, including temperatures and moisture
- Retention of records covering at least the audit cycle, typically three years
Recycled Content Calculation Rules
The second pillar is arithmetic with evidence. EN 15343 recognises post-consumer recycled (PCR) and post-industrial recycled (PIR) material; in-house process scrap is normally excluded from recycled content claims. Converters must keep input-output balances that reconcile purchased certified pellets, virgin top-up material and finished goods. For multi-component products, EN 45557 extends the calculation, while ISO 14021 governs the wording of self-declared environmental claims. The practical consequence for buyers is simple: a supplier quoting 50% PCR should be able to show the mass balance, not just a certificate.
Audit Model, Certificate Validity and Timeline
Certification against EN 15343 runs as a factory audit plus product testing with annual surveillance, and certificates are valid for three years. A first-time project typically takes three to six months: gap analysis, system build-out, internal audit, application, on-site audit and content testing. Buyers should treat the surveillance report as the live document, because a certificate without a current surveillance letter is a red flag worth a second look.
What Buyers Should Verify
- Certificate scope: does it cover the actual recycling or conversion site, and the resin family you buy?
- Chain of custody: are your supplier's upstream inputs certified, or is the claim self-declared?
- Surveillance status and the date of the last on-site audit
- Mass-balance records supporting the specific recycled percentage in your quotation
EN 15343 answers the provenance question; it does not answer quality or safety. Buyers still need the usual material specifications covered in PCR grade sourcing, the scheme differences explained in GRS certification and ISCC PLUS mass balance, and the process trade-offs in chemical versus mechanical recycling. A working comparison sits below.
| Scheme | Primary focus | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| DIN EN 15343 | Recycling chain traceability and content assessment | Provenance and a calculated recycled content figure |
| GRS | Product standard with chain of custody | Recycled percentage plus social, environmental and chemical requirements |
| ISCC PLUS | Mass-balance certification across feedstocks | Attribution of recycled or bio-based input to output material |
For procurement teams the takeaway is to request the certificate, the surveillance report and one worked mass-balance example together. Suppliers who produce all three quickly are usually running a real system; those who produce only a PDF certificate are worth auditing further.
Related product categories
The materials and part types discussed above are grouped in our sourcing directory:
