Chemical recycling is at a crossroads. With fewer than 20 commercial facilities operating worldwide but dozens more in the pipeline, the industry is poised for rapid scaling. Yet the technology itself remains deeply contested, criticized for its high energy intensity and the risk of creating more waste. Into this breach steps a new certification standard—SCS-004—designed to separate the beneficial from the borderline and give brands a credible framework for making recycled-content claims.
Developed by SCS Standards and Assurance Systems, building on earlier work by the industry group Circle (formerly the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network), SCS-004 was shaped by chemical recyclers, multinational brands, startups and NGOs. The standard covers operational processes for technologies such as pyrolysis, depolymerization, solvolysis, methanolysis and gasification. It also includes human rights considerations and permits multiple chain-of-custody models, including mass balance, which recyclers use to link incoming recovered materials to specific outputs. As Victoria Norman, executive director of SCS Standards, noted, brands are under real pressure to deliver on recycled-content commitments, and chemical recycling is part of how that gets done—but confidence in the process is essential.
The controversy around chemical recycling is not without merit. The term encompasses a vast array of approaches, from depolymerization that can produce lower-impact nylon yarn from fishing nets, as carpet maker Interface demonstrates with Aquafil, to processes that some critics argue are closer to combustion. The challenge, as Interface’s Mikhail Davis put it, is knowing which is which. The new certification helps companies differentiate revolutionary, beneficial technologies from those that may consume more energy and create more byproducts than they save. This differentiation is critical as global brands face mounting pressure to meet recycled-content pledges and as investors seek to fund truly circular solutions.
For energy and environment professionals, the implications are clear. Chemical recycling is not a single technology but a spectrum, and its environmental performance varies dramatically. SCS-004 provides a much-needed benchmark for evaluating that performance, but it is only one of several emerging standards, including ongoing work at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The real test will be adoption: how many recyclers pursue certification, and how rigorously brands enforce it in their supply chains. The standard’s inclusion of mass balance and human rights elements also signals a shift toward more holistic accountability in the circular economy, moving beyond simple tonnage targets to consider social and operational responsibility.
If the industry can scale responsibly, chemical recycling has the potential to unlock value from contaminated and hard-to-recycle materials like tires, flexible plastics and textiles. But without robust certification, the risk of greenwashing—and of investing in energy-intensive dead ends—remains high. The new standard is a step in the right direction, but it is only the beginning of a long journey toward credible, large-scale chemical recycling.
Read the full report at GreenBiz.