IPPR – the Institute for the Promotion of Plastics from Recycling – is introducing an important innovation in line with recent regulatory developments and the growing demand for transparency and traceability in environmental communications.
The new Regulations for Plastica Seconda Vita (PSV) Certification recognise the option, on a voluntary basis, to adopt digital tools for tracking materials throughout every stage of the supply chain: from the sorting of plastic waste, to its conversion into secondary raw material, through to the manufacture of the final product. PSV certification now also includes the use of blockchain-based technologies, which allow information to be recorded in an immutable way, ensuring integrity, authenticity and a verifiable timestamp. In this context, blockchain functions as a digital notarial register, giving legal value to the traced data and thereby strengthening the reliability of the entire supply chain.
Evolution of the Plastica Seconda Vita Regulations
Plastica Seconda Vita is an accredited environmental certification scheme for recycled content and by-products. Created to meet the need to make recycled materials traceable and identifiable, it was the first Italian and European label dedicated to recycled plastics, certifying the percentage of recycled content contained in materials and finished products. The label is promoted by IPPR, founded in 2004 by Unionplast, PlasticsEurope Italia and Corepla, with the aim of supporting the circular economy in the recycled plastics sector and facilitating dialogue between businesses and Public Administration.
Now, with the introduction of blockchain, PSV is also paving the way for the Digital Product Passport (DPP), a key tool for improving transparency and circularity in plastics. Through the DPP it will be possible to collect, update and share certified information on the composition, origin and regulatory compliance of materials, making it accessible to all actors across the supply chain.
Plastica Seconda Vita was the first certification scheme dedicated to recycled plastics in Europe, more than twenty years ago. Today, we are also proud to be the first body to recognise and promote the use of innovative digital technologies to enhance traceability and transparency throughout the entire plastics value chain, said Libero Cantarella, President of IPPR.
