Certification as a Financial Tool for Plastic Packaging: Silk Road Certification Brings the Whole Package

October 1, 2026 / 12:36 PM

Every piece of plastic packaging carries two values: what it costs to produce, and what it can save in extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees. Good design and documented recycled content increasingly translate into lower fees – which makes certification a financial tool that works for the business, not just an item on a compliance checklist. At MSV and PLASTEX in Brno, 6–9 October 2026 (Hall G1, stand 008), Silk Road Certification will present its certification package: everything a plastic packaging producer needs to demonstrate recycled content and recyclability, under one roof and from a single certification body.

Where and when do the fees apply? Several countries already reward recyclable designs and recycled content in plastic packaging – France, Italy and Spain among them – and in the Czech Republic EKO-KOM is gradually introducing eco-modulation, especially for plastics. The PPWR, which has applied since 12 August 2026, will extend fee modulation by recyclability grade across the whole EU once the detailed criteria are adopted, expected in the coming years, and from 2030 plastic packaging in grades A–C will have its place on the market. Poland is building a new EPR system, with full fees planned from 2028. This is the ideal moment to lay the foundations: evidence built today becomes tomorrow's advantage.

Certification also answers two further requirements. For PET beverage bottles, the Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive counts towards its target only recyclate whose recycling, including sorting, took place in the EU (from November 2027 also in OECD countries). And from 27 September 2026, the EmpCo Directive expects consumer-facing claims such as “recyclable” or “contains recycled content” to be backed by certification – turning them into a credible selling point and a safeguard against accusations of greenwashing.

The first part of the package covers recycled content: certification of sorting and recycling processes, and traceability of recyclate all the way into new plastic packaging. Silk Road Certification is accredited by the Polish Centre for Accreditation (AC 249), works to EN 15343, and its certificates are recognised worldwide. From 2030, the PPWR sets minimum recycled content for plastic packaging – between 10 % and 35 %, depending on the type. For plastic packaging producers, the certificate provides evidence for these requirements and for the EU declaration of conformity, and gives on-pack claims a solid foundation.

The second part is the recyclability of plastic packaging. The journey starts with a free self-assessment in the RecyClass Online Tool; when the result looks good, certification confirms it. Give it a try – it's genuinely enjoyable, and the results are often eye-opening: sometimes a small change to a label, an adhesive or a colour is all it takes to move up a grade.

Bring your Online Tool results to the stand together with the packaging, or just the packaging itself. We'll explore them with you and show which scope of certification fits your packaging and supply chain: sorting process, recycling process, recyclate traceability, the EN 15343 programme or the recyclability of plastic packaging.