BS EN 15343 is a British Standard that discusses the recycling traceability of recycled plastics.
BS EN 15343 specifies the procedures needed for the traceability of recycled plastics. This gives the basis for the calculation procedure for the recycled content of a product.
BS EN 15343 on recycling traceability and conformity assessment of plastics is relevant to:
Recycling plastic waste is one type of material recovery process intended to save resources (virgin raw materials, water, and energy), while minimising harmful emissions into air, water and soil as well as any impacts on human health. The environmental impact of recycling has to be assessed over the whole life cycle of the recycling system (from the waste generation point to the disposal of final residues).
In this regard, legislation, international standards or end users may require traceability of the constituent components of products in order to allow better product control or to locate and withdraw unwanted material and/or defective products from the market.
The purpose of BS EN 15343 is to describe the necessary procedures for mechanical recycling that are needed for products that have been manufactured completely or in part from recycled plastics and need proof of traceability. It can enable producers to use the recycled materials with confidence and can provide the end users with a basis for their acceptance.
If the origin of all the component parts of a product, virgin as well as recyclates, is known it is possible to calculate the recycled content of the product, a value which may be required by customers or regulators.
EN 15343:2007