Sustainable Certification Schemes

Certification schemes across the material supply chain.

Validation of sustainability in products and packaging has predominantly relied on trust and best estimates. These can be open to fraudulent or even well-intended (but misjudged) marketing claims. These can be challenged at any point in your supply chain, ruining the credibility and marketing ability of your products.

Our independent and robust certification process removes that uncertainty, providing you and your customers with complete confidence in the sustainable claims and reduced environmental impact of your products.

Certifying materials with a
rigorous and science-based process

Conducting site visits
Auditing supply chain and procurement to validate sustainable generation of the material and products, considering circular economy and carbon reduction aspects.
Sampling feedstock and products through relevant approved testing
Certifying conformance to the relevant ISO and BSI Standards and Testing methodologies (ie. BSI Flex 6228)
Installation of monitoring plans to validate continued certification.

BSI Flex 6228

ISO 17067

Why seek certification for your products?

Independent certification of sustainably produced products, brings many benefits to you, your clients and the supply chain. These benefits include:

Giving confidence to customers and clients in the sustainably produced aspects of your products or packaging.
Reducing the potential for greenwashing claims by providing assurance to customers, stakeholders and national compliance authorities, through an independently certified scheme.
Our SSP certification promotes the percentage of recycled content (not just product recyclability) showing that the material is a low-carbon choice compared to virgin material made items.
Supports compliance with government legislation – e.g., recycled plastic content certification for compliance with the Plastic Packaging Tax. The requirement of the Tax is to demonstrate recycled content, not recyclability.
Business Procurement Frameworks: Supports compliance with sustainability and net zero requirements.
Supports emissions reductions throughout the supply chain by certifying the use of recycled materials.
Provides a visible and recognisable logo for products sold on the market, demonstrating your validated commitment.

How SSP works

Our Sustainably Sourced Plastics (SSP) Certification can cover all types of plastic materials.

Supply chain and procurement checks are made to certify recycled material purchasing, testing, and in-process quality controls.

These are used to create an Evidence Portfolio, and can potentially be applied to each part of the supply chain.

The findings are then assessed and, if all requirements are met, the SCG Team award SSP Certification.

This process ensures that the required percentage of recycled content can be traced and evidenced, and can provide an overall certification across the plastics supply chain, from recyclers to manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

The certification can be used to demonstrate compliance with specific legislative or industry requirements such as Plastic Packaging Tax, ESG policies, or Net Zero targets.

We are also proud of the fact that The Sustainable Certification Group is the first company in the world to award a Sustainably Sourced Plastic (SSP) Certification utilising the BSI Flex 6228 standard to physically measure recycled content % in PET, for an additional ‘material fingerprint’.

What does SSP Certification do for you?

It can independently assure the plastic products contain ‘more than 30% “post-consumer” recycled plastic content’, demonstrating that they are exempt from Plastic Packaging Taxes .

It can assure supply chain businesses (especially brand owners and retailers) that tax exemption claims are externally and independently verified to satisfy HMRC requirements.

Our SSP ‘fingerprint logo can be used on your documentation, packaging and products to clearly identify that the materials have been sustainably sourced, to avoid ‘greenwash’ challenges by customers and possible prosecution by industry ‘watchdogs’ (i.e Competition and Marketing Authority, Advertising Standards Authority).

How does SSP support Recyclers and Compounders?

Sustainable certification can make you more attractive to manufacturers and stakeholders.
Enables you tackle increasing market force pressures.
Certification of sustainable, low-carbon plastic promotes availability of highly in-demand recycled content plastic.
Potential end-to-end supply chain auditing makes SCG’s certification process a robust and complete assessment
Plastics can be tested and certified under our Sustainably Sourced Plastic certification.
Maximise client confidence and remove the risk of making fraudulent sustainability claims with a reliable and robust testing process.
Certification supports the carbon reporting process, making carbon footprinting a simpler process.
Enquire about the cost of our service and learn more about the financial benefits our certification scheme could contribute to.

What is the certification process for recyclers and compounders?

On site audit
Validation of production process and controls to confirm Post Consumer material status.
Possible end-to-end supply chain audit
finished material sampling and testing (where applicable)

Summary of key applicable themes to come out of the market research interviews and surveys:

Reduced carbon footprint and route to net-zero important to businesses.
Risk of self-certification around fraudulent claims and greenwashing.

How would the SC Group support manufacturers?

Reduce your Carbon Footprint and Scope 3 emissions by purchasing lower-carbon impact raw materials that have certified recycled content.
Future-proof your business from legislative non-compliance by getting ahead of the game in sustainable procurement.
Reduced-carbon certification can make your products more desirable to retailers and customers who are increasingly seeking low-impact market alternatives.
All types of plastics can be tested and certified under our Sustainably Sourced Plastic certification.
Our end-to-end supply chain auditing makes SC Group’s certification process more rigorous and credible than paper trail audits carried out by our competitors.
Maximise client confidence and remove the risk of making fraudulent sustainability claims with a reliable and robust testing process.
Enquire about the cost of our service and learn more about the financial benefits our certification scheme could contribute to.

The certification process for manufacturers

On site audit
Potential end-to-end supply chain audit
Raw material sampling and testing

Summary of key applicable themes to come out of the market research interviews and surveys:

Reduced carbon footprint and route to net-zero important to businesses.
Risk of self-certification around fraudulent claims and greenwashing.
Large shift away from plastic.

How would SCG support brands and retailers?

Reduce your Carbon Footprint and Scope 3 emissions by purchasing lower-carbon impact packaging/products that have certified recycled content.
Possible end-to-end supply chain auditing makes SC Group’s certification process more rigorous and credible than paper trail audits carried out by our competitors.
Maximise customer confidence and remove the risk of making fraudulent claims about eco-friendly activity with a reliable and robust testing process.
Future-proof your business from legislative non-compliance and polluter levies by getting ahead of the game in sustainable procurement.
Enquire about the cost of our service and learn more about the financial benefits our certification scheme could contribute to.

The certification process for brands or retailers

On site audit
Potential end-to-end supply chain audit
Raw material sampling and testing

Female worker in factory checking plastic bottles during production - Sustainable Certifications Group

Get in touch

Interested in finding out more about our services or what we could do for you?