ISO/TC 61/SC 14/WG 3 - Biobased plastics

This document provides life cycle assessment (LCA) requirements and guidance to assess impacts over the life cycle of biobased plastic products, materials and polymer resins, which are partly or wholly based on biobased constituents. The applications of LCA as such are outside the scope of this document. Clarifications, considerations, practices, simplifications and options for the different applications, are also beyond the scope of this document. In addition, this document can be applied in studies that do not cover the whole life cycle, with justification, for example in the case of business-to-business information, such as cradle-to-gate studies, gate-to-gate studies, and specific parts of the life cycle (e.g. waste management, components of a product). For these studies, most requirements of this document are applicable (e.g. data quality, collection and calculation as well as allocation and critical review), but not all the requirements for the system boundary.

This document specifies requirements and guidelines for the quantification and reporting of the process carbon footprint of biobased plastics (see ISO 22526-1), being a partial carbon footprint of a bioplastic product, based on ISO 14067 and consistent with International Standards on life cycle assessment (ISO 14040 and ISO 14044). This document is applicable to process carbon footprint studies (P-CFP) of plastic materials, being a partial carbon footprint of a product, whether or not the results are intended to be publicly available. Requirements and guidelines for the quantification of a partial carbon footprint of a product (partial CFP) are provided in this document. The process carbon footprint study is carried out according to ISO 14067 as a partial carbon footprint, using the specific conditions and requirements specified in this document. Where the results of a P-CFP study are reported according to this document, procedures are provided to support transparency and credibility, and also to allow for informed choices. Offsetting is outside of the scope of this document.

This document defines the material carbon footprint as the amount (mass) of CO2 removed from the air and incorporated into plastic, and specifies a determination method to quantify it. This document is applicable to plastic products, plastic materials and polymer resins that are partly or wholly based on biobased constituents.

This document specifies the general principles and the system boundaries for the carbon and environmental footprint of biobased plastic products. It is an introduction and a guidance document to the other parts of the ISO 22526 series. This document is applicable to plastic products and plastic materials, polymer resins, which are based from biobased or fossil-based constituents.

This document specifies a calculation method for the determination of the biobased carbon content in monomers, polymers, and plastic materials and products, based on the 14C content measurement. This document is applicable to plastic products and plastic materials (e.g. plasticisers or modifiers), polymer resins, monomers, or additives, which are made from biobased or fossil-based constituents. Knowing the biobased content of plastic products is useful when evaluating their environmental impact.

ISO 16620-5:2017 specifies the requirements for the declarations and labels of the biobased carbon content, the biobased synthetic polymer content and the biobased mass content in plastic products. ISO 16620-5:2017 is applicable to plastic products and plastic materials, polymer resins, monomers or additives, which are made from biobased or fossil-based constituents.

ISO 16620-4:2016 specifies a method of determining the biobased mass content in plastics products, based on the radiocarbon analysis and elemental analysis. ISO 16620-4:2016 is applicable to plastic products and plastic materials, polymer resins, monomers or additives, which are made from biobased or fossil-based constituents. This method is applicable, provided that the plastic product contains carbon element and that a statement giving its elemental composition and its biobased mass content is available.

ISO 16620-1:2015 specifies the general principles and the calculation methods for determining the amount of biobased content in plastic products. These calculation methods are based on the carbon mass or mass of each constituent present in the plastic products. ISO 16620-1:2015 is applicable to plastic products and plastic materials, polymer resins, monomers, or additives, which are made from biobased or fossil-based constituents.

ISO 16620-3:2015 specifies the method of determining the amounts of biobased part in the biobased synthetic polymer in plastics products. This calculation method for biobased synthetic polymer content is based on the mass of biobased synthetic polymer in the plastics products. ISO 16620-3:2015 is applicable to plastic products and plastic materials, polymer resins, monomers, or additives (e.g. plasticizers or modifiers), which are made from biobased or fossil-based constituents.