Standards for the circular economy and the environment

Standards are an essential element for the promotion of markets, innovation and quality. By normalisation with standards, procedures and processes can be harmonised and, thus, simplified. Cross-cutting issues relating to materials, products and processes, particularly with regard to the circular economy and environmental aspects, are of increasing significance for industry. It is therefore important to support and organise this work in the relevant national, European and international standardisation committees. The BKV is actively involved in some of these on behalf of the plastics industry: in the Advisory Board of the DIN Plastics Standardisation Committee and in the Environment and Recycling Committees. The Advisory Board is the steering committee of the Plastics Standardisation Committee, which represents general standardisation activities in the field of plastics production and plastics processing. In the working committees, individual standards are developed, guided and mirrored from the activities at European level at CEN and international level at ISO.

 

Recycling of plastics in the circular economy

Norms and standards support the transformation to a circular economy for plastics, from product design to recycling to recycled content in products. Of central importance is the mandate M/584 of the EU Commission for the creation and updating of standards relating to plastics recycling and recycled plastics. The DIN committee mirrors both this work, which is being developed under the leadership of CEN at European level, as well as the international work at ISO, for example on the guidelines for the recovery and recycling of plastics.

 

Plastics and environmental aspects

This working group deals with standards for minimising the undesirable discharge of micro- and macroplastics into the environment and the measures required for this as well as the procedures for sampling, sample preparation and analysis. The committee reflects the standards and projects of the corresponding European and international committees at CEN and ISO. The German opinion is discussed and finally a statement is formulated and introduced into the European and international standardisation work.