TekniPlex Consumer Products has obtained ISCC Plus Certification (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) for its manufacturing facility in Dublin, Va. The designation allows the company to certify the percentages of advanced recycled polypropylene (PP) included in the food-sector solutions produced at the plant, including coffee pods, fruit and dessert cups, deli packaging and containers for yogurts and other dairy items.

The certification centers around a conundrum of advanced recycled (also called chemically recycled) plastic resins. Compared with conventional mechanical recycling, chemical recycling produces resins functionally equal and virtually indistinguishable from virgin materials. Therefore, companies incorporating advanced recycled plastics into products must carefully track these materials to avoid false or misleading sustainability claims.

To that end, ISCC Plus is a globally recognized system for the verifiable traceability of recycled materials throughout the supply chain, including transparent, verifiable standards for advanced recycled materials. The certification allows TekniPlex Consumer Products to assure customers that varying, customizable percentages of recycled PP are utilized in their packaging solutions. In doing so, the company can better support current and future legislative mandates for increased recycled content and reduced virgin resin usage without compromising its solutions’ protective and functional properties.

“As we continue to incorporate recycled plastics into a wide array of our materials science-based solutions, we also are committed to the transparency and veracity of our sustainability claims—and, of course, those claimed by our customers,” says Rafael Posada, global sustainability director for TekniPlex Consumer Products. “This ISCC Plus designation allows us and our customers to verify various percentages of advanced recycled polypropylene—a means of rubber-stamping PCR statements and showcasing sustainability sincerity.”