ISO 14021:2026 is the third edition of the standard on self-declared environmental claims, published in June 2026. Every claim must now be based on a documented claim programme, which the company making the claim can run itself. A recycled content claim must state what it covers and, unless the whole product is recycled, a percentage by mass. The evidence behind it must be available on request.
What the third edition changes
The third edition, listed as published in the ISO catalogue, replaces ISO 14021:2016 and its 2021 amendment. Its foreword lists the main changes: common content moved to ISO 14020:2022, a documented programme for every claim, stricter record-keeping, disclosure of chain-of-custody attribution where it affects reliability, and updated specific claims in clause 8.
A claim programme you can run yourself
For self-declared claims, the programme operator is usually the claimant, and the programme can be an internal memorandum or procedure. Involving interested parties is optional.
Before the claim is made, the operator must test the method or chain-of-custody model for reliable, reproducible results. Records must be kept while the product is on the market and for a reasonable time afterwards. The claim must be reassessed after significant changes, and no later than five years after the last assessment. Information needed to verify the claim must be provided on request.
External certification is not required. The supporting information must, however, state what conformity assessment was carried out, if any, and by whom, and a claim must not imply certification that does not exist.
From “green” to a precise claim
Vague terms such as “green”, “eco-friendly” or “environmentally friendly” must not be used as self-declared claims. A claim must say whether it covers the whole product, a component or the packaging, and must not imply overall environmental excellence.
For recycled content, clause 8.5 counts only pre-consumer and post-consumer material. Pre-consumer material is diverted from a waste stream during manufacturing, excluding scrap or regrind reused in the same process that generated it. Post-consumer material comes from end users once a product is no longer used for its intended purpose. A claim may cite either category or the total.
The percentage is the mass of recycled material, measured or attributed through a chain-of-custody model, divided by the mass of the product. Where no test method can measure it directly, use the mass from the recycling process after losses. Product and packaging percentages are stated separately. The standard also advises against using the Mobius loop to indicate recycled content.
An illustrative evidence workflow
The following practical steps can help organise the evidence behind a claim.
- Define the claim: pre-consumer, post-consumer or total recycled content, the product, component or packaging covered, and the averaging period.
- Write the programme down as an internal procedure.
- Trace each recycled input with supplier declarations, purchase records and delivery notes; the standard accepts purchasing documentation as evidence.
- Describe the chain-of-custody model used, for example segregated or mass balance.
- Calculate the recycled mass, divide it by the product mass and keep the calculation file.
- Test that the method gives reliable, reproducible results before making the claim.
- Publish the supporting information, for example via a web address or QR code, and set a reassessment trigger.
An EPD serves a different purpose
An environmental product declaration (EPD) under ISO 14025 reports the results of a life cycle assessment (LCA), which quantifies a product’s inputs, outputs and potential impacts across its life cycle. It is calculated under product category rules (PCR) and verified and published under the general programme instructions (GPI) of an EPD programme. ISO 14025 states that an EPD is not a comparative assertion and that self-declared claims and ecolabels are not EPDs.
The two can be linked. An EPD may show self-declared claims as clearly separated additional information, and for construction EPDs, EN 15941:2024 requires such claims to follow ISO 14021. For background, read our articles on EPDs versus self-declarations and on circularity indicators in EPDs. EPDportal.org hosts EPD Poland (EPD Polska), an EPD programme operated by Multicert. For questions about an EPD Poland declaration, contact us.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I claim “100 % recycled” without explanatory text?
- Only if the whole product or package, apart from minor, incidental components, is made from recycled material. Otherwise, state the percentage by mass.
- Can a mass balance model support a recycled content claim?
- Yes, but the explanatory text must state that the recycled content cannot be guaranteed in any individual product. Book-and-claim models must not be used for recycled content.
- Is the secondary material figure in an EPD a recycled content claim?
- No. EN 15941 notes that secondary material use reported in an EPD does not measure recycled content. A claim needs its own ISO 14021 calculation and evidence.