ISO 22095 is the international standard that sets the shared terms and five models for chain of custody, the way a claim about a material travels with it through a supply chain.
It answers a question supply chains kept solving differently: when a product says "recycled" or "responsibly sourced", what does that actually guarantee about the material inside?
Published in 2020 and developed by ISO/TC 308, the ISO committee for chain of custody, it gives everyone one shared vocabulary so a claim means the same thing whoever makes it.
It is tempting to read "recycled content" as the exact material in your hand, but often it is not. Under a mass balance model the input is tracked by volume, so the claim is real even when the physical molecules are mixed.
ISO 22095 at a glance
The short version before the detail.
- Standard: ISO 22095, first edition 2020 (Amendment 1 published 2026)
- Full title: Chain of custody, general terminology and models
- Type: a terminology and models standard, not a certification
- Published by: ISO/TC 308, Chain of custody
- Companion standards: ISO 22095-2 (mass balance) and ISO 22095-3 (book and claim), both published 2026
Verified against iso.org, July 2026. ISO 22095 is a standard you use and conform to, not one you get certified against. The auditable requirements live in the sector schemes that adopt it and, since 2026, in Parts 2 and 3.
What chain of custody actually means
Chain of custody is the trail that keeps a claim attached to a material as it changes hands.
If a batch of plastic is made from recycled feedstock, chain of custody is what lets a buyer several steps later still say so with confidence. Without an agreed method, every company documents it its own way and the claim gets weaker at every handover.
That is the gap ISO 22095 closes. It names the parts of the system and sets out models everyone can point to, so a claim survives the journey instead of fading into "trust us".
The five chain of custody models
ISO 22095 does not tell you which model to use. It defines five, and the difference between them comes down to one thing: how much of the claimed material is physically present in what comes out the other end. They run from a full physical link to none at all.
- Identity preserved. The output traces back to a single, specific source and is kept apart from everything else the whole way. What you receive is that exact material, with nothing blended in.
- Segregated. Material that has the claimed characteristic is physically kept separate from material that does not, though it can come from several approved sources. The output is entirely the claimed material, just not tied to one origin.
- Controlled blending. Claimed and non-claimed material are mixed in known, controlled proportions, so the output carries a defined percentage of the characteristic.
- Mass balance. The claimed input is tracked by quantity through the system, and an equal amount of output can carry the claim, even though the physical materials get mixed along the way. Volume in sets how much can be claimed out.
- Book and claim. The physical material and the claim are separated completely. Certificates for the claimed characteristic are traded on their own, apart from the goods, a bit like renewable energy certificates.
The further down the list you go, the weaker the physical link between the claim and the actual product. That is exactly why the model behind a claim matters as much as the claim itself.
Who ISO 22095 is for
ISO 22095 is for anyone in a supply chain who has to stand behind a claim about a material, not just repeat it.
In practice that means brand owners putting a recycled-content or responsibly-sourced claim on a product, and producers in plastics, chemicals and packaging who account for recycled input by mass balance.
It is also for the operators of certificate schemes that run on book and claim, and the auditors and certification bodies who check the claims. If your job is to prove a claim rather than make it, this is your reference point.
How ISO 22095 backs a recycled content claim
For a producer, this is where chain of custody stops being abstract. The logic runs in a few steps.
- The rule. The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) sets recycled-content targets for plastic packaging, and a recycled-content figure is only as trustworthy as the chain of custody behind it.
- The catch. Recycled content is very often counted by mass balance, so "30% recycled" can be a system-level accounting figure rather than a molecule count.
- What ISO 22095 adds. The shared language to say which model you used and to show your working, which is the heart of recycled-content verification.
- Why it matters. A claim built on a named, recognised model holds up. One that is not can be challenged, and under tightening green-claims rules it can be treated as misleading.
- Keep the record. Which model sits behind which claim is the kind of evidence extended producer responsibility and packaging rules increasingly expect a producer to keep.
What ISO 22095 is often confused with
A few things get mixed up with ISO 22095. Three are worth clearing up.
- Chain of custody is not the same as traceability. Traceability tracks where a product physically went. Chain of custody goes further, keeping a specific claim attached to the material and stating how much physical link that claim still has. You can have traceability and still have a claim that means little.
- A mass balance claim is not a promise about the exact molecules. It is a volume-based accounting claim. That is legitimate and widely used, but "recycled" under mass balance does not guarantee the item in your hand contains those recycled atoms.
- ISO 22095 is not a certification. You do not get "ISO 22095 certified". It sets the terms and the models. The auditable requirements come from the sector schemes that adopt it and, since 2026, from ISO 22095-2 and ISO 22095-3, which turn mass balance and book and claim into detailed rules.
ISO 22095 questions answered
Short, plain answers to the questions people ask most about ISO 22095.
What is ISO 22095?
ISO 22095 is the international standard, published in 2020, that sets the common terminology and five models for chain of custody, the way a claim about a material travels with it through a supply chain. It gives everyone one vocabulary so a claim means the same thing whoever makes it.
What are the five chain of custody models in ISO 22095?
Identity preserved, segregated, controlled blending, mass balance, and book and claim. They differ by how much of the claimed material is physically present in the output, from a full physical link with identity preserved down to none at all with book and claim.
Is ISO 22095 a certification?
No. It is a terminology and models standard you conform to and build on, not a scheme you get certified against. Certification comes through the sector chain of custody schemes that adopt these models, and the detailed requirements now sit in ISO 22095-2 and ISO 22095-3.
What edition of ISO 22095 is current?
The first edition was published in 2020, and Amendment 1 was published in 2026. Two companion standards, ISO 22095-2 for mass balance and ISO 22095-3 for book and claim, were also published in 2026.
What is the difference between mass balance and book and claim?
Under mass balance the claimed material physically enters the system and is tracked by volume, even if it gets mixed with other material. Under book and claim the physical material and the claim are fully separated, and certificates are traded on their own, apart from the goods.
How does ISO 22095 relate to recycled content rules?
Recycled content is usually accounted for using a chain of custody model, most often mass balance. As the EU sets recycled-content targets for plastic packaging, ISO 22095 gives producers a recognised way to state which model backs their figure, which is what makes the claim hold up.
Who needs to follow ISO 22095?
Anyone standing behind a claim about a material: brand owners, producers in plastics, chemicals and packaging, certificate-scheme operators, and the auditors who check the claims. If you make or verify a recycled or responsibly-sourced claim, it is your starting point.
