New Canadian standard published by the BNQ on products with recycled plastic content

QUÉBEC, Aug. 23, 2023 /CNW/ - The Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) publishes the standard CAN/BNQ 3840-100 Recycled Plastic Content Products that aims to guarantee recycled plastic content in new products manufactured in Canada. The standard aims to support and encourage positive change throughout the plastic value chain, so that plastics continue to be used as part of a circular economy.

Considering the environmental impacts resulting from the plastic pollution, it is crucial, both environmentally and economically, to ensure that plastics find a useful second life. Plastic resins are major components of our modern societies. Their mechanical and chemical properties, including being lightweight and durable, make them ideally suited for a multitude of essential applications. However, the vast majority of plastic packaging and products used by consumers and businesses in Canada today are never recycled.

This new National Standard of Canada (NSC) aims to meet the needs of industry, consumers and regulatory authorities; it applies to all organizations performing plastics recycling (recyclers), plastics sorting (sorting centres), plastics processing (packers) and plastics transforming (converters) as well as brand owners whose products contain plastics, that incorporate them into a new product.

This standard notably specifies the requirements for determining the content of recycled plastic introduced into the production process of the end product and the procedures for tracing the products with recycled plastic content entering the supply chain. It establishes the basic requirements for classifying a product based on its origin and treatment (mechanical or chemical). Finally, it has been developed to be used as a reference document as part of certification activities of the applicable products.

"Organizations are striving to include a greater proportion of recycled plastic in manufactured products, and governments are considering mandating the use or recycled content in certain products. Therefore, it will be essential to have a standardized method for calculating and verifying the recycled content of products. This new consensus-based standard, combined with certification rules, will ensure fair competition conditions for industries adopting them, and will give consumers confidence in the labelling inherent to the recycled content of products."

- Isabelle Landry, Principal Director, Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)

"Canada generates about three million tonnes of plastic waste, of which only 9% is recycled. As we all try to do our part to reduce waste, current gaps and inconsistencies between recycled content are creating barriers. This new National Standard of Canada is a significant step forward to helping us measure and verify the recycled content in plastic products ? one that will allow buyers to confidently purchase products that include recycled plastics, and for sellers to credibly communicate the recycled content in their products."

- Pierre Bilodeau, Vice-President, Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement and Interim Vice-President, Standards and International Relations, Standards Council of Canada (SCC)

The standard CAN/BNQ 3840-100 Recycled Plastic Content Products is available for free on the BNQ website: https://www.bnq.qc.ca/en/standardization/environment/recycled-plastic-content-products.html.

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 (SCC).

For further information on the BNQ: bnq.qc.ca

SOURCE Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)