Germany introduces new standard for recycled polyamide

The German Institute for Standardisation (DIN) has introduced a new standard for recycled plastics, DIN SPEC 91481.

The new standard describes concrete requirements for the classification of recycled plastics and polyamide-based plastic waste according to data quality levels for use and digital trading. The document is aims to make it easier for manufacturers and processors of polyamide recyclates to trade those products, DIN said in a Jan. 29 statement.

The standard was developed by a consortium of 19 research and industry organisations, led by Hamburg-based Cirplus, Europe’s largest digital procurement platform for recycled plastics. Other organisations involved include the Institute for Plastics and Circular Economy (IKK), BASF, and Remondis.

DIN SPEC 91481 is ‘the world’s first standard for high-quality plastics recycling and digitalisation for polyamides’, Cirplus’ CEO said in a LinkedIn post.

The standard introduces:

• Data Quality Levels (DQLs) for plastic recyclates and plastic waste feedstock, classifying them based on the available data of the material. This provides the industry with a uniform language and removes a major barrier to using recyclates in commercial products, DIN said;
• Definitions improving clarity in interactions concerning waste-to-product-to-waste value-chains;
• Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements for recyclates and waste. This digital solution creates transparency and makes the entire life cycle of the material traceable. Uniform data collection, storage, and distribution make it possible to classify and compare waste and recyclates, which in turn makes it easier to market or reuse them;
• Recommendations on how to collect, process and transmit the data across the entire life-cycle.

“With the new standard we want to increase the acceptance of polyamide recyclates on the market,” said Prof. Dr. Hans-Josef Endres, managing director of IKK and head of the DIN-SPEC consortium. “In the long term, it should pave the way to a paradigm shift: further standardisation and the expansion of digital solutions will be crucial for a true plastics circular economy.”

The DIN SPEC 91481 standard is based on the methodology developed in DIN SPEC 91446, also initiated by Cirplus, and adopted by the Association of the German Automotive Industry (VDA) at the beginning of 2023 as the basis for the use of recycled materials in the automotive industry (VDA 284). That standard is currently being converted into a European standard and the new DIN SPEC 91481 should also follow suit, DIN said.

Cirplus’ digital platform brings together more than 3,000 plastics processors, product manufacturers, recyclers and disposers from more than 100 countries, with 4 million metric tons of plastic material being listed on the platform as of early 2023.

The procurement platform bridges the gap between buyers and sellers of plastic waste feedstock and recyclates, facilitating end-to-end transactions. It connects stakeholders looking to buy or sell post-consumer or post-industrial recyclate on a spot or contract basis.

The introduction of the new standard comes amid the European Union's requirements that member states start collecting textiles separately from 2025, as part of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Nylon is a polyamide often used in the textile industry.