SCS Global Services (SCS), a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing, and standards development, announced the certification of three plastics innovators to the newly launched Recycled Material Standard (RMS) created by environmental nonprofit GreenBlue. Three leaders in sustainable plastics — Little Rock, AR-based Revolution, Santa Ana, CA-based Arglite and St. Louis, MO-based Granite Peak Plastics — have all completed successful audits and been certified by SCS, the first authorized certification body for the new RMS.
RMS is a voluntary, market-based tool developed to advance the use of post-consumer and post-industrial recycled plastic materials in place of virgin feedstocks. The standard serves as a vehicle for brands to track, validate and communicate recycled material claims with a certified chain of custody. Any organization that processes or trades recycled plastic materials is eligible to seek RMS certification.
“We applaud Revolution, Arqlite and Granite Peak Plastics for their commitment to plastics recycling best practices, and for working so diligently with GreenBlue to usher in a new era of plastics credits that can enable major brands and others such as universities and governments to meet their established sustainability commitments,” stated Nina Goodrich, Executive Director at GreenBlue. “Each of these companies has become an exemplary model for plastics and sustainability stewardship, as demonstrated through the SCS auditing process, helping to set the stage for future engagement with additional companies interested in becoming part of this new plastics commodity.”
Arqlite and Granite Peak Plastics are participating in a new environmental commodity created by GreenBlue referred to as the Attributes of Recycled Content, or simply ARCs. Similar to carbon offsets and renewable energy credits (RECs), the ARC trading system allows companies to purchase and retire ARCs, thus providing financial support to investments in the North America supply chain, which in turn helps to advance the use of recycled materials. All information regarding the new trading system will be housed in a new RMS ARC Registry.
“This Recycled Materials Standard adds a new dimension to the current types of recycled content standards we’ve been auditing to over the last 15 years,” said Nicole Munoz, SCS Global Services’ Vice President of Environmental Certification Services. “While similar in intent to other standards, the new RMS is adding an additional layer of transparency to the certified company’s claims by enabling stakeholders to register their certified and qualified projects to ensure accurate tracking and visibility in the global marketplace.”
“We are thrilled to be part of RMS as a certified producer,” adds Patrick Casey, Director of Finance and Project Management at Arqlite. Arqlite produces Smart Gravel, a green construction gravel made from recycled plastics that can be used as light aggregate, hydroponic growth media, drainage media, and more. “It is an immeasurably important milestone that validates both our solution and operation, while providing access to capital that will enable the successful deployment of our technology and potentially expand our reach beyond our Southern California facility. This certification could very well be the tipping point that will help Arqlite realize its full potential in establishing a new global benchmark of excellence.”
Arqlite and Granite Peak Plastics are represented by ACT, a global provider of sustainability solutions in the emissions, renewable fuels, renewable energies, and energy efficiency markets. ACT is working with the companies to create suitable ARCs for availability in the marketplace. “ACT is excited about the development of the RMS standard, which enables our clients to act upon their sustainability commitments through the purchasing of ARCs,” notes Dylan Lubbe, Strategy and Development at ACT. “These ARCs will help to finance the much-needed expansion of the current recycling infrastructure and the advancement of recycling technologies. We are grateful to SCS Global Services for playing such an important role as an accredited third-party verifier. The ARCs only exist after participating companies undergo the robust SCS audit process, which ultimately strengthens the credibility and integrity of ARCs within the RMS.”
“With a focus on working collaboratively to drive the plastics circular economy, we understand how important it is to assure brands,and ultimately consumers, that the post-consumer resin they are receiving from Revolution has been independently certified,” said Cherish Miller, Vice President, Sustainability and Public Affairs at Revolution. Through innovative engineering, Revolution has developed a method of producing high-quality plastics from recycled materials for a wide range of market applications while maintaining the smallest carbon footprint possible. “As certification needs continue to evolve, our goal is to continue to be part of the process by providing input as both a recycler of post-consumer (PCR) and post-industrial (PIR) film and as a manufacturer of products containing recycled content.”