DIN SPEC 91446 – Speaking the same language

14 July 2022

DIN SPEC 91446 Label from August 2022 with small CO₂ footprint & large depth of information

Without plastics, there would be no lightweight construction, no high-quality food packaging and no modern medical technology. Plastic waste and low recycling rates are the other side of the coin. DIN SPEC 91446 , with its clear standards and classifications for recyclates, is intended to boost the circular economy. Click here to read exactly how this is possible..

The importance plastics worldwide today can be seen by looking at the development of production volumes. While there were only 1.5 million tonnes of plastic worldwide in 1950, according to Statista, this figure increased to 368 million tonnes by 2019. The Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation even forecasts a production volume of 1600 million tonnes by 2050. The problematic nature of the material is also reflected in figures: according to the OECD Outlook for Plastic 2022, the world produces twice as much plastic waste today as it did two decades ago. Most of it ends up in landfills, incinerated or in the environment — for example in the oceans. Only 9% is successfully recycled.

The low recycling rate results from a fundamental dysfunctionality of the plastics markets: high-quality recyclates are on average more expensive than virgin materials. One important reason for this is the lack of recognised standards and classifications for recyclates based on reliable data. DIN SPEC 91446 “Classification of plastic recyclates by data quality levels for use and (internet-based) retail” closes this gap. The new DIN SPEC provides for the classification of recyclates according to defined data quality levels (DQL). It introduces a uniform methodology for the identification and labelling of recyclates while providing instructions for the uniform specification of plastic waste. In this way, the new DIN ensures that suppliers, retailers, recyclers, disposers and plastics processors speak the same language.

The data quality system

DIN SPEC 91446 classifies plastic recyclates based on the data available for the respective material. The more data available, the better the classification. DIN provides for four data quality levels (DQL). There is little data available on the respective recyclate on level 1, whereas on level 4 there is a lot. But what type of data are we talking about? It includes information, properties and so-called optional features. According to DIN, the data is considered as information if it is taken from the documentation of the collection, handling and/or recycling process. The DQLs must, for example, include the specification of the material, the recycling method, the compound’s or product’s retail name as well as the filler material and the quantity. The new DIN describes a total of 14 of these pieces of information, which are mandatory for DQL 4. Properties refer to material characteristics determined by testing according to a publicly available and established standard. They can also be public internal company standards. 10 properties, including for example viscosity, density, as well as particle size and distribution, are mandatory for level 4 of the DQL. The following optional features can also be added to the DQL: strength, colour, flammability and CO₂eq — although up to 22 of these optional features are provided for, there may be more. The optional features are not necessary to achieve a DQL. That’s because they are relevant for many, but not for all applications. To achieve classification into one of the four data quality levels, the manufacturer of the recyclate must record the described data in a product data sheet. The product data sheet should also include the percentage by mass of recycled material, which is indicated by the letter R. This can refer to Post Industrial Recyclate (PIR) or Post Consumer Recyclate (PCR). However, reused material produced in a specific process and also recycled in this same process is excluded (compare DIN EN ISO 472:2013.06). If, for example, off-spec material produced during the manufacture of a compound is fed back into the process, the final material will not contain any recyclate. This regulation prevents so-called greenwashing. The mass fraction of recyclate according to the new DIN SPEC includes not only the polymer matrix but also the filler materials. However, the polymer contained in a colour masterbatch may only be attributed to the recycled portion if the batch also contains a recyclate as a polymeric carrier. The DIN uses examples to describe in detail how to calculate the recyclate content for a specific material composition.

Clarity at a glance

If the product data sheet and the assignment to a DQL according to DIN SPEC 91446 are available, this should be recognisable at a glance. The remedy of choice is a clearly visible label on the material packaging. This ensures that the most important facts are immediately recognisable: data quality level, material, recycled content, composition, origin (post consumer or post industrial recyclate), CO₂eq, colour and more.

And this is what the label should look like:

The material information based on the new DIN SPEC 91446 provides a reliable basis for all stakeholders along the value chain. Processors thus know what they are using, retailers know what they selling and recyclers know what information to provide. This is intended to boost acceptance for greater use of recycled materials in products.

DIN SPEC 91446 Label from August 2022 with small CO₂ footprint & large depth of information

DIN SPEC 91446 – Speaking the same language

The data quality system

Clarity at a glance

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