The BNQ now offers certification for products with recycled plastic content
The Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) now offers to companies in the plastic industry a certification based on the Canadian standard CAN/BNQ 3840-100 Recycled Plastic Content Products. Thanks to this certification, manufacturers ensure that the plastic material content claimed as part of the end products production process meets the calculation method that is standardized and harmonized throughout Canada.
The vast majority of plastic packaging and products used by consumers and businesses in Canada is never recycled. Since plastic resins are major components of our modern societies due to their mechanical and chemical properties, including being lightweight and durable, which make them ideally suited for a multitude of essential applications, it is crucial, environmentally and economically, to ensure that plastic materials find a useful second life. With this in mind, the BNQ has developed the National standard of Canada, which was published in summer 2023.
Based on this Canadian standard, the new certification offered by the BNQ is for all companies whose end products contain recycled plastic which claimed content in recycled plastic within the end product is at least 5%, whether these materials are pre- or post-consumer materials. The certification is also for companies using the following processes, among others: shredding, grinding, injection moulding, spinning, blowing, extrusion, thermoforming, rotational moulding, repelletizing, purification, depolymerization and conversion. The certification requirements define, among other things, aspects related to the marking of end products to facilitate their identification by businesses and consumers.
"The BNQ is proud to contribute to the value chain of the plastic industry with this National standard of Canada that is designed to meet the needs of this industry, but also of the consumers and regulatory authorities. In a circular economy, the addition of this new certification to our service offer will certainly promote the development and maintenance of new opportunities for these materials otherwise destined for disposal. The certification will allow to guarantee fair competition conditions for industries adopting these new rules and it will give consumers confidence in the labelling inherent in the recycled content of products."
- Isabelle Landry, Principal Director at Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)
"The Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) represents Canada's plastics sustainability leaders, dedicated to developing a circular economy for plastics. Recycled content is a critical element of a circular economy, which is why CIAC is pleased to have supported the development of CAN/BNQ 3840-100 Recycled Plastic Content Products and the accompanying BNQ 3840-900 Recycled Plastic Content Products — Certification Protocol. Combined these provide the transparency and accountability required to demonstrate the validity of a product's recycled content claim."
- Christa Seaman, Vice-President, Plastics, Chemistry Industry Association of Canada
"Through Canada's Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste, federal, provincial, and territorial governments have committed to updating standards for measuring and reporting recycled content. This helps level the playing field for industry and provides confidence to consumers on their purchasing choices. This is an important step in the right direction and supports stronger and more reliable end markets for recycled plastics. By working together, we can keep plastics out of landfills and the environment and move Canada toward a circular economy."
- The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
"Canada generates approximately 3 million tonnes of plastic waste, of which only 9% is recycled. One of the key barriers to higher recycling rates is that virgin plastic is still cheaper compared to recycled plastic. Moreover, not all claims of recycled content in the market are underpinned with the same level of rigour. BNQ's new certification protocol provides a tool for various players along the plastics value chain to make credible, third-party backed claims about recycled content, allowing large procurers as well as individual consumers to confidently make purchasing decisions with sustainability in mind. It is a positive step toward a more robust and transparent market for recycled plastics—helping us keep more plastics in the economy, and out of the environment."
- Pierre Bilodeau, Vice-President, Standardization Services, Standards Council of Canada
Companies wishing to obtain this certification will have to comply to the requirements of the standard CAN/BNQ 3840-100 Recycled Plastic Content Products and to the requirements of the document BNQ 3840-900 Recycled Plastic Content Products — Certification Protocol, which are available free of charge on the BNQ website: https://bnq.qc.ca/en/certification/environment/recycled-plastic-content-products.html.
About the BNQ
The BNQ, an administrative unit of Investissement Québec, is the reference organization for standardization and certification in Quebec. It develops consensus-based standards and certification protocols in accordance with the rules of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The BNQ is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada.
For further information on the BNQ: bnq.qc.ca/en
Source: Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)
Information: Vincent Pivin, Bureau de normalisation du Québec, medias@bnq.qc.ca
