ISO 14021 certification
Recycled Content Certification
Move beyond self-declared claims. Secure independent, third-party verification under the ECG 454 V1.1 Standard to prove your product’s recycled content is accurate, defensible, and market-ready.
In a marketplace where “greenwashing” is a significant legal and reputational risk, self-declared environmental claims are no longer enough. To build genuine trust with B2B clients and consumers, your products need to be Recycled Content Certified.
ECG provides professional, third-party certification under the ECG 454 V1.1 Standard, ensuring your products meet the rigorous requirements of ISO 14021:1999 and U.S. federal environmental marketing guidelines.
Why Move from "Claims" to "Certified"?
Being Recycled Content Certified allows your organization to move beyond internal estimations to a defensible, market-ready status that meets the highest regulatory and industry standards.
Substantiate Marketing Claims: Ensure your product labeling complies with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Green Guides to prevent legal challenges.
- Meet Global Reporting Mandates: Prepare for a low-carbon economy and emerging regulations like California’s SB 253/261 and the EU’s CBAM.
Enhance Brand Integrity: Differentiate your products with the ECG Certified mark, proving that your post-consumer or pre-consumer claims are verified by objective evidence.
Technical Rigor & Standard Compliance
Our certification process is built on international best practices, providing you with a robust framework for environmental labeling.
1. ISO 14021 & ISO 14020 Alignment
We classify materials strictly according to ISO 14021:1999(E). This ensures that only true Post-Consumer (material generated by end-users) and Pre-Consumer (material diverted from the waste stream during manufacturing) are counted toward your certified percentage.
2. Chain of Custody & Mass Balance
Verification requires more than a simple review. We evaluate your Chain of Custody to track materials from receiving through production. We perform Mass Balance calculations to confirm that your recycled material inputs accurately match your final product outputs.
3. Supplier Verification
Integrity starts at the source. For any supplier providing 2% or more of your total recycled material by weight, we require signed Supplier Affidavits to verify the origin and classification of the material.
Our certification aligns with global environmental marketing standards.
The ECG Certification Pathway
Our streamlined process is designed to be thorough yet efficient, leveraging AI-driven software to reduce the administrative burden on your team.
Application & Data Submission: Submit your Bill of Materials (BOM), manufacturing totals, and supplier data.
Mandatory Desk Audit: Our auditors perform a remote evaluation of your records, traceability procedures, and mass balance data.
Facility Assessment (Optional): If required by the standard or if data gaps exist, an onsite audit is conducted to verify physical segregation and manufacturing controls.
Certification Decision: An independent review is conducted to grant your Certificate of Achievement, valid for one year.
Annual Renewal: Continuous compliance is maintained through annual audits to ensure your claims remain accurate as your supply chain evolves.
Why Partner with ECG?
AI-Driven Precision: We utilize advanced software to conduct assessments with higher accuracy and lower costs than traditional manual methods.
Regulatory Leadership: Our team understands the nuances of global environmental marketing laws, ensuring your claims are safe and defensible.
Comprehensive Deliverables: Receive a Verified Product Carbon Footprint Report, a Certified Label for marketing, and a strategic roadmap for future reductions.
Multidisciplinary Expertise: We combine engineering, carbon accounting, and regulatory knowledge to provide a “one-stop” solution for your sustainability goals.
All Our Services at a Glance
Climate and Carbon Services
- Corporate Carbon Footprint Calculation
- Product Carbon Footprint Calculation
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Product Environmental Footprint
- Water Advisory Services
- Greenhouse Gas Verification
- Carbon Offset Consulting
- 45Q and 45V Tax Credits
- 45Y Clean Electricity Production Tax Credits
- Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit – Section 48E
- Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
- SB 253 Compliance & GHG Reporting Services
- SB 261 – Climate-Related Financial Risk Act
- California Climate Disclosure Compliance
Sustainability Reporting
- Recycled Content Verification
- ISCC Certification
- Materiality Assessment
- Double Materiality Assessments
- Materiality and SASB Reporting
- SASB Standards
- GRI Reporting
- CDP Consulting
- Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
- Science Based Targets Initiative
- U.N. Sustainable Development Goals
- Net Zero Training and Workshops
- Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
- Reduced Carbon Footprint Verification