The Food and Beverage Carton Alliance launches recycling guidelines for EU PPWR compliance

The Food and Beverage Carton Alliance (FBCA), an industry organization based in Brussels, Belgium, has unveiled Recy:Check — a recyclability certification protocol designed to support compliance with the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) for fiber-based composite packaging (FBCP). Simultaneously, the FBCA has released the 2025 Design for Recycling (DfR) Guidelines for liquid packaging cartons (LPCs).

“Both Recy:Check and DfR Guidelines offer essential support for the F&B carton industry to demonstrate recyclability of FBCP according to the existing EU PPWR requirements, but also useful for policymakers outside of Europe,” Sebastian Bartels, director general of FBCA, tells Packaging Insights.

“Recy:Check and DfR are more than technical tools — they are strategic enablers for a circular economy,” Bartels continues. 

“They help our industry speak with one voice on recyclability, align with evolving EU regulations and global aspirations, and empower every actor in the value chain, from designers and producers to recyclers and policymakers, to make informed, future-proof decisions.”

The Recy:Check methodology 

Sebastian Bartels, director general of FBCA.The FBCA describes Recy:Check as a science-based certification methodology that evaluates the recyclability of fiber-based composite packaging across four key stages: collection, sorting, reprocessing, and application. It is aimed at brand owners, packaging companies, recyclers, and reprocessors. 

According to the PPWR, packaging companies need to demonstrate their solutions’ recyclability through a standardized process and implement improvements where necessary. 

The Recy:Check full-scale methodology and protocol certify the recyclability of FBCP. The protocol verifies the recyclability of liquid packaging cartons, including the PolyAl fraction, in specialized reprocessing mills.

PolyAl is a blend of polymers and aluminium recovered during carton recycling.

The certification process further aims “to challenge companies to further improve the circular design of their packaging,” and has the potential to allow companies to make claims to inform consumers.

Recy:Check can support recyclers and reprocessors by reducing the amount of less desired and unwanted packaging, limiting the amount of unwanted product-residue and treatment costs, optimizing yield, and purity of materials.

DfR Guidelines for LPC

Bartels tells us that the DfR Guidelines are science-based and use external, third-party certifying bodies that can “help mitigate any greenwashing concerns.” The guidelines are also based on “the latest regulatory updates and material innovations.”

DfR guidelines aim to boost recyclability and alignment with regulations and material innovations.“The recommendations in previous versions of the DfR Guidelines for Liquid Packaging Cartons have been complemented with additional science-based facts and with a format in line with the work of theEuropean Committee for Standardization,” he adds.

The DfR Guidelines are intended for:

• Packaging designers and brand owners seeking to improve recyclability
• Recyclers and reprocessors evaluating material compatibility
• Producer responsibility organizations and policymakers shaping infrastructure and legislation.

“These deliverables are the achievement of a strong collaboration among experts from the industry, recyclers [paper mills and PolyAl recyclers], and certifying organizations, which brings robustness and consistency to the content as well as the security for the recyclers that the packaging placed on the market is compatible with their process,” says Bartels. 

“To that end, sustainable and scalable packaging solutions are provided for a more circular economy.”