EU - Commission Implementing Decision Laying Down Rules for the Application of Directive (EU) 2019/904 on Calculation, Verification and Reporting of Data on Recycled Plastic Content in Single-Use Plastic Beverage Bottles

​The implementing decision lays down rules for the calculation, verification and reporting of recycled content in PET bottles. 

EU Member States will have to apply these rules to demonstrate compliance with the recycled plastic content targets set in Article 6(5) of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904. 

The rules depend on the applied recycling technologies: For the mechanical recycling of PET, they are based on the system that is already established by EU food contact legislation (Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 on the use of recycled plastic materials in articles intended to come into contact with food). 

For chemical recycling, mass balance accounting has to be applied, and chemical recyclers are subject to additional third-party certification.

The geographical scope for the recycling (including sorting) to take place in order to allow the output to count as recycled content is part of the definition of “recycled plastic” in Article 1(1).​