About RMS
The Recycled Material Standard
The Recycled Material Standard (RMS)
The RMS serves as a voluntary, market-based tool to address some of the challenges that brands, their suppliers, and the recycling industry face in trying to incorporate higher amounts of recycled content into packaging or finished products.
Research has shown that one of the most prevalent packaging goals is to increase the use of post-consumer and/or post-industrial recycled materials to replace virgin feedstocks. The variety and flexibility of the RMS is intended to provide continuity for consumers and brands while meeting the needs of the industry and enabling new mechanisms to encourage the use of recycled content.
Complementing Policy
There is unprecedented focus on improving recycling in the U.S., and abroad. Lawmakers, and both the public and private sectors are considering what investments need to be made to modernize collection and sortation infrastructure. Anticipating an increase in materials captured for recycling, the RMS has been developed to help advance the use of recycled materials. The RMS will serve as a vehicle for brands to track, validate and communicate recycled material claims with a certified chain of custody. Furthermore, the ARC trading system also provides a means for brands to invest directly in expanding recycling capacity and capability.
Evolution of the Standard
Early Development
Development of the RMS was initiated in 2019 by GreenBlue with support from NSF International and the RMS Advisory Committee. The team has created a broad framework as well as a plastics module, with a focus on resins used in packaging. The RMS will eventually expand to include other common materials including paper and glass. The standard can also be applied for the same materials in markets other than packaging (e.g. the use of recycled plastic in toys, the automotive sector, or building products).
Pilot Testing
A series of mock audits was conducted with participants across the full value chain. Feedback from the pilot phase was used to further clarify requirements in the standard. This process also provided insights on tools and guidance documents that the Recycled Material Standard (RMS) team will be developing to help facilitate the certification process. Our team is grateful for the participation and input from the following companies as part of this process:
Annie’s | Continuus Materials | Eureka Recycling | Havi Global | Nexus Fuels | Printpack | Revolution | Sealed Air | TC Transcontinental
Public Comment
A sixty day public comment period was conducted to gather input from interested stakeholders. A summary of this phase can be found here. All comments have been taken into consideration as part of the standard development process.
Release
The RMS Framework, Plastic Module and Plastic Material Classification are now available to download, along with supporting documents. We invite interested companies to become certified by filling out the participant application and scheduling an audit with an accredited certification body. Additional information about the certification process is available here.
Continuous Maintenance
The RMS team is always open to feedback and input from interested stakeholders. Recommendations for changes or requests for interpretation can be submitted through our contact form at any time.