CEN/TR 13688:2008

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2008
1DGRPHãþD
SIST CR 13688:2001
(PEDODåD6QRYQRUHFLNOLUDQMH3RURþLORR]DKWHYDK]DVQRYLLQPDWHULDOH]D
SUHSUHþHYDQMHWUDMQLKRYLU]DUHFLNOLUDQMH
Packaging - Material recycling - Report on requirements for substances and materials to
prevent a sustained impediment to recycling
Verpackung - Stoffliche Verwertung - Bericht über Anforderungen für Substanzen und
Materialien zur Verhinderung einer andauernden Behinderung der stofflichen Verwertung
Emballages - Recyclage matière - Rapport sur les exigences relatives aux substances et
aux matériaux destinés à éviter tout obstacle durable en recyclage
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TR 13688:2008
ICS:
13.030.50 Recikliranje Recycling
55.040 0DWHULDOLLQSULSRPRþNL]D Packaging materials and
SDNLUDQMH accessories
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

TECHNICAL REPORT
CEN/TR 13688
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
TECHNISCHER BERICHT
July 2008
ICS 13.030.50; 55.020 Supersedes CR 13688:2000
English Version
Packaging - Material recycling - Report on requirements for
substances and materials to prevent a sustained impediment to
recycling
Emballages - Recyclage matière - Rapport sur les Verpackung - Stoffliche Verwertung - Bericht über
exigences relatives aux substances et aux matériaux Anforderungen für Substanzen und Materialien zur
destinés à éviter tout obstacle durable en recyclage Verhinderung einer andauernden Behinderung der
stofflichen Verwertung
This Technical Report was approved by CEN on 1 June 2008. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 261.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36  B-1050 Brussels
© 2008 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TR 13688:2008: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
Foreword.3
Introduction .4
1 Scope.6
2 Normative references.6
3 Definitions.6
4 Recycling.6
5 Material examples.7
Bibliography .18

Foreword
This document (CEN/TR 13688:2008) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 261 “Packaging”,
the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
This document supersedes CR 13688:2000.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. CEN [and/or CENELEC] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This report has been prepared by CEN/TC 261 SC 4 WG 3 in support of the Standards Mandated in
M200 Rev 3, in particular the Principal Standard EN 13430 "Packaging - Requirements for packaging
recoverable by material recycling".
Introduction
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive states the essential requirements that must be satisfied for
packaging to be placed on the market, and includes the requirements for that packaging to be considered
recoverable. Recovery by material recycling is largely influenced by the materials used for packaging and the
condition in which they arrive at the recycling operations. The materials and substances used in their
manufacture and also the products contained can and will influence the collection, sorting and recycling
operations. This report provides examples covering the main packaging materials and can be used as a guide
for taking into account substances and materials that may be incorporated in packaging and which may, or do,
inhibit subsequent operations related to recycling.
The Mandate M200 Rev 3 sets out the requirements for a number of principal standards and supporting
reports. For Material Recycling, the mandate states the requirement for :
 the standard intended to give presumption of conformity with the essential requirements for packaging
recoverable in the form of material recycling shall be in line with Annex 2, Clause 1, indent 1, 2 and 3 and
Annex 2 Clause 3.(a) of the Directive.
 The requirements shall take into account :
 substances or materials that are liable to create problems in the recycling process ;
 materials, combinations of materials or designs of packaging, that are liable to create problems in
collecting and sorting before material recycling ;
 the presence of substances or materials that are liable to have a negative influence on the quality of
the recycled material.
The standard EN 13430 sets out the basis on which packaging may be classified as recoverable by recycling.
This is one of the routes for the recovery of used packaging, with the inter-relationship between the various
routes being covered in the standard EN 13427.
The standard EN 13430 requires that the design, choice of materials and the manufacturing operations of
packaging take into account the activities through which the used packaging will go when processed through
the expected recovery operations. In particular that standard deals with the need to take into account the
collection, sorting and recycling of the materials.
A good standard should be clear and unambiguous, readily and easily understood and enable the
determination of whether the activity/product conforms to the requirements. As far as possible it must also be
such that it has a longevity, by not being outdated by failing to cover all the issues that fall within its intended
scope, or by the inevitable developments - technical and commercial - which are stimulated by the legal
requirements, and even by the standard itself.
It is not appropriate for a standard to list "substances and materials that create problems.” as this will lead to
the failure to satisfy the above requirement of a good standard, in that such a list may never be complete, and
if a substance or material is not on the list it could justifiably be considered as fully acceptable. Also,
technology is constantly being developed, and the so called problem materials may become no longer a
problem.
A standard needs to avoid being prescriptive with the resultant fundamental principle that it is not the role of a
standard to provide definitive lists, but rather to provide the basis on which any such defined lists are
controlled/assessed or measured.
In practice, the recycling of used products is determined not only by the collection, sorting and recycling
process, but also by the application in which the recycled material is expected to be used. The requirements
of the application in which the recycled materials are to be used can have a far greater effect on the decision
on whether a "substance or material" will cause a problem in the recycling process. Therefore the Mandate is
right in requiring the standard to “take account of substances and materials that are liable to cause problems”,
and not to establish a list, which for the above reasons could never be correct.
This report therefore provides some examples of the substances, materials and components that need to be
considered in the design and control of the packaging as defined in the standard EN 13430.
1 Scope
This Report provides some examples of substances and materials that may cause a sustained impediment in
the recycling activities, and is intended to assist in the assessment requirements set out in the standard
EN 13430.
It describes substances or materials which cause problems or inhibit the recycling process, or which have a
negative influence on the quality of recycled material, and for which it is considered that technological
solutions will not be developed in the near future.
These examples are however qualified by the fact that the recycling operations can vary from region to region
and state to state, that technology is constantly changing, and that the use to which the recycled material is
put will also determine whether such substances and materials are a problem.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 643, Paper and board – European list of standard grades of recovered paper and board
EN 13193, Packaging – Packaging and the environment – Terminology
EN 13427, Packaging – Requirements for the use of European Standards in the field of packaging and
packaging waste
EN 13430, Packaging – Requirements for packaging recoverable by material recycling
EN 13437, Packaging and material recycling – Criteria for recycling methods – Description of recycling
processes and flow chart
3 Definitions
For the purpose of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 13193 apply.
4 Recycling
The European Standard EN 13437 provides a general description of the material flows from manufacture and
use of packaging and the recovery by recycling for a reuse of the materials for either packaging or other
applications. The document also provides a brief description of the main recycling operations for each of the
main material sectors. The description underlines that recycling technology is being constantly developed with
new techniques emerging, and recycling needs can vary significantly from country to country due to the form
in which the packaging arrives in the waste stream, and also the applications in which the recycled materials
will be used.
Whilst there may be similarities in packaging materials and recycling activities across the member states,
there is no automatic and common position that can be predicted from one country to another. An example of
this can be seen in the recycling of glass. The specification for the segregation of coloured glass varies. For
example in the UK only very low levels of cross contamination of colour can be accommodated as the
manufacture of new glass bottles is fairly evenly divided between clear (flint), amber and green. In France
however, green bottles dominate, and as green is more tolerant of colour mixing, less segregation of colours
in the collected waste is required. However, this position could be expected to change as collection and
recycling increases to a level beyond that accommodated by the green fraction of new production.
Thus in presenting the data in this report, the information can only be considered as examples of the issues
that should be considered in the design of packaging, and the need to take into account the effect that the
materials and construction may have in the subsequent recycling operations.
In providing examples of substances and materials that may cause problem in recycling, a number of issues
need to be considered. These include:
 the range of packaging materials ;
 the form in which the packaging exists ;
 the collection/sorting and recycling operations available in the location where the packaging completes its
functional life ;
 the use to which the recycled material is to be put.
The following examples include data from current and typical specifications associated with used packaging
supplied for recycling on a commercial and practical basis. It should be noted that these specifications can
also vary from location to location.
The largest single classification of problem substances is not with the substances, materials and components
that make up the packaging to be recovered, but with those associated with contamination of the packaging.
This contamination comes from the residues of the contents, from other external contamination resulting from
the use of the packaging, or from the collection and sorting processes. The contamination may usually be very
small in quantity but, either through a hazardous nature of the contamination, or an inhibition in the use to
which the recycled material can be put, can result in a disproportionate level of problem.
5 Material examples
Packaging is produced from a wide range of materials, and combinations of materials, selected according to
the functional requirements of the packaging application. Though all these materials are readily recyclable,
they can provide a major impediment to the recycling operation if they become mixed. Glass packaging in a
plastic recycling operation, metals in a glass recycling operation, excessive plastic in a paper recycling
operation, etc. are examples where fully acceptable materials and substances can lead to problems in
recycling other materials.
In the following tables examples of materials and substances which cause problems in the recycling
operations of each of the main pack
...