Review ISO 16103 Transport packaging for dangerous goods — Recycled plastics material

On May 4th, ’22, the 2nd subgroup meeting of the task Force regarding the revision of the ISO standard 16103:2005, Packaging — Transport packaging for dangerous goods — Recycled plastics material, took place at IBE-BVI. The meeting was attended by a diverse, international group consisting of representatives of government, the plastic raw material/packaging producing companies, the chemical industry (users) and plastic federations.

IBE-BVI, who chairs this task force (part of the joint working group ISO/TC 122 and CEN/TC 261/WG 16), puts its expertise in the field of testing and certification of UN packaging at the service of this working group in order to open new possibilities for recyclate and to ensure that the industry can use their packaging more and more circularly.

The aim of the review is to no longer restrict the recycled material for the manufacture of UN packaging only to industrial waste, but to open it up to other sources of recyclate. This will consider whether the material is obtained from a known closed loop system (e.g. used UN packaging) or an open system (e.g. household waste or other plastic waste sources).

Depending on the origin of the source of the plastic material, different quality control criteria, verification criteria and schemes (yet to be developed) will therefore have to be met before the material is allowed to be used for producing packaging, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and large packaging for the transport of dangerous goods.
At this meeting, a first draft focussing on the conditions imposed to recycled plastic materials to be allowed to produce UN packaging, was proposed and discussed.

The next step is to introduce this draft at ISO/CEN level to obtain the green light for the further elaboration of a final revision of the ISO 16103 standard.