"Recyclable" is one of the most-used words on packaging and one of the least defined. ISO 18604 is the line between a marketing word and a claim a producer can stand behind.
Under the EU's packaging rules, that line now has a price, because recyclability decides part of the fee a producer pays.
ISO 18604, first published in 2013, is the international standard that pins the word down. It gives companies one clear way to check a pack and say how much of it can really be turned back into new material.
ISO 18604 will not let you just call a pack "recyclable" and move on. It makes you put a number on it, the share that can actually be recycled, and the stream it goes into.
ISO 18604 at a glance
Here is the standard at a glance, the essentials worth knowing or citing before we get into the detail.
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Standard: ISO 18604
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Full title: Packaging and the environment, material recycling
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First edition: 2013
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Status: Published and current
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Type: A requirements standard you conform to, not a certification
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Published by: ISO/TC 122 (Packaging), subcommittee SC 4
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Series: One of six standards in the ISO 18600 packaging-and-environment series, led by the umbrella standard ISO 18601
Confirmed against ISO's catalogue, June 2026. ISO 18604 is always applied alongside ISO 18601, which sets out how the series is used.
What counts as material recycling
Two words do the heavy lifting in this standard, so it is worth pinning them down first.
Material recycling means reprocessing used packaging into a product, a component, or a secondary raw material. It deliberately leaves out burning packaging for energy, which separate standards cover.
Material recycling turns used packaging back into new material, not energy.
The standard also leans on an agreed meaning of recyclable. It is packaging that can be collected, processed, and returned to use through systems that actually exist.
That last part matters. Packaging is not recyclable in principle, it is recyclable where there is a real system to collect, sort, and reprocess it.
What ISO 18604 actually requires
ISO 18604 does not hand out a simple pass or fail. It sets a procedure a producer follows to work out, and then declare, how much of a packaging unit is recyclable.
In plain terms, the 2013 standard asks a producer to:
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Assess the packaging properly. Follow the standard's set procedures when arriving at the final design of the finished pack, rather than eyeballing it.
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Check it against real recycling technology. The materials, and combinations of materials, have to work with recycling processes available at industrial scale, not ones that only exist in a lab.
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Control what goes into it. Anything in the build that would harm the recycling process has to be considered and managed.
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Account for what recycling releases. Any change in releases to the environment from recycling the used packaging has to be taken into account.
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Declare the percentage. State the percentage by weight of the pack that is recyclable, and name the recycling stream it is meant for.
That last point is the heart of it. ISO 18604 is built around an honest number. Not "this is recyclable" as a yes or no, but "this share of this packaging can be recycled, into this stream."
Who needs ISO 18604
ISO 18604 is for the people who have to back up a recyclability claim, not just make it:
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Packaging designers choosing materials and formats
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Producers preparing environmental declarations or EPR filings
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Assessors who check those claims
Take a drinks brand moving from a multi-layer pouch to a single-material one. ISO 18604 is what tells them whether the new pack actually qualifies, and what share of it counts, before they print the word on the label or report it to their scheme.
Why ISO 18604 matters for producers
For most of its life this was a quiet technical standard. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) changed that.
EPR put a price on recyclability
Under EPR, producers pay into a scheme to cover the end-of-life of their packaging, and modern rules tie those fees to how recyclable it is. The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation rewards recyclable packaging and charges more for the rest.
That turns "is this recyclable, and how much of it" from a marketing question into a financial one.
The proof is the data you already track
ISO 18604 gives a consistent, internationally recognised way to assess and declare recyclability. It will not decide your legal fee grade on its own, because each scheme sets its own rules, but it is the kind of defensible assessment that holds up when a claim is questioned.
Knowing which of your packaging meets the standard, and tracking the declared percentages, is exactly the record an EPR reporting workflow is built to keep.
Where ISO 18604 fits
A few standards get mixed up here, so it is worth keeping them straight. ISO 18604 is one of six related standards in the ISO 18600 series, and it is the one for material recycling.
The ISO 18600 series is all about packaging and the environment. One umbrella standard, ISO 18601, explains how to use the rest, and each of the others covers one way of cutting packaging's impact, from using less of it to recycling, composting, or recovering energy.
The ISO 18600 family. ISO 18601 is the umbrella, ISO 18602 optimises the packaging, then at end of life a pack is reused (18603) or recovered. ISO 18604 is the material recycling route.
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ISO 18604 vs ISO 18601. ISO 18601 is the umbrella that explains how the whole series is applied. ISO 18604 is the specific standard for material recycling, and it cannot be applied on its own.
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ISO 18604 vs ISO 18605 and ISO 18606. These are the three recovery routes. ISO 18604 is material recycling, ISO 18605 is energy recovery, ISO 18606 is organic recycling (composting). A pack can qualify under more than one.
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ISO 18604 vs ISO 14021. ISO 18604 is the technical assessment of recyclability. ISO 14021 governs the public claim or label. The two are often cited together.
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ISO 18604 vs EN 13430. EN 13430 is the European counterpart used in the EU conformity context. ISO 18604 is the international one. Same idea, different rule-books.
ISO 18604 questions answered
Below are short, plain answers to the questions people ask us most about ISO 18604.
What is ISO 18604?
ISO 18604 is the international standard, first published in 2013, that sets out when packaging can be classified as recyclable through material recycling. It gives producers a procedure to assess a pack and declare the percentage of it that can be recycled.
Is ISO 18604 a certification?
No. It is a requirements standard you conform to and reference, not a scheme you get audited and certified against. None of the ISO packaging and environment standards are certifications.
Does ISO 18604 set a minimum recyclability percentage?
No. It does not impose a fixed threshold. It requires the producer to assess the packaging and declare the percentage by weight that is recyclable, and to name the recycling stream. The number comes from the packaging, not from the standard.
How does ISO 18604 relate to EU packaging rules?
The EU's packaging regulation ties the fees producers pay to how recyclable their packaging is. ISO 18604 gives a recognised way to assess and declare that recyclability, so it supports the evidence those rules expect, even though each scheme sets its own fee grades.
What is the difference between ISO 18604 and ISO 14021?
ISO 18604 assesses whether and how far packaging is recyclable. ISO 14021 governs how you may then state that as a public claim or label. One is the technical work, the other is the wording on the pack.
Can a producer apply ISO 18604 on its own?
No. The standard says so directly. The procedure for applying it sits in ISO 18601, so the two are always used together.
What does material recycling exclude?
Burning packaging for energy and using it as a fuel. Those count as energy recovery, covered by ISO 18605, not material recycling.
