Not all plastic is bad. Plastic is a versatile and durable material but it’s durability becomes a problem if a plastic product is designed for a single use. Single-use products have a short design life and then are disposed of either through recycling (if available) or to landfill where degradation could take hundreds of years.

Products that meet the criteria for this standard have less environmental impact because they reduce the amount of plastic entering our waste streams, conserve resources through product reuse, reduce the subsequent release of environmentally harmful substances to the environment, and minimise the impacts of packaging.

Licensees awarded this standard are also required to consider product stewardship during design and end-of-life of its products.

This standard covers a wide variety of products including food and beverage containers, non-food containers, general household or office products, children’s toys, flexible packaging, reusable plastic bags and sheets that are designed for multiple uses or long life, recreational equipment, playground equipment or sports gear, horticultural supplies, fence posts and construction materials.

It’s specifications also focus on resource conservation, and protecting human health by prohibiting phthalates of concern, BPA and intentionally added microplastics.