The Importance of Supplier Audits and Mass Balance Analysis

GreenCircle conducts supplier audits and performs a mass balance analysis for every Recycled Content certification.

Why is it Important to Verify the Recycled Content Materials from Suppliers?

Verifying the recycled content of materials from suppliers is essential to ensure that the recycled content claim is consistent for all products produced. GreenCircle has a rigorous chain of custody process to document and certify recycled content materials. This includes a close inspection of the product recipe to understand whether the material is pre- or post-consumer, as well as to understand the source of those materials. This process assures that you are buying genuine post-consumer material.

What is a Mass Balance and Why Does it Matter in the Verification Process?

Mass balance is another important step in this process. GreenCircle analyzes the total amount of products produced and the total amount of recycled content materials purchased and utilized each month. This data helps GreenCircle verify that sufficient quantities of recycled content materials were purchased to meet the recycled content claim on a consistent basis. Consistency of the claim is critical to maintaining FTC compliance. GreenCircle certifies to a minimum recycled content based on the results of the mass balance.

If your third-party certifier is not conducting supplier audits and performing a mass balance analysis, you may not be getting the true value of your Recycled Content certification.

*GreenCircle is endorsed by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) for conducting reclaimer audits as part of the APR PCR Certification Program. GreenCircle’s Recycled Content certification has also been included in Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly Program and Wayfair’s Shop Sustainably.