ISO 20819-1:2020

Overview

ISO 20819-1:2020 - "Plastics - Wood‑plastic recycled composites (WPRC) - Part 1: Specification" defines requirements for wood‑plastic recycled composites (WPRC) used primarily as building materials. The standard specifies acceptable types and proportions of raw materials, rules for calculating and declaring recycled material content, health and safety requirements, and the test methods needed to verify those properties.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and definition
  • WPRC: mixtures of woody material/natural fibre and thermoplastics containing recycled material that forms at least 40% of total composite mass.
• Recycled material content
  • Declared as a percentage and rounded to the nearest integer.
  • Two calculation methods provided: mass-based formula and mass‑fraction formula.
  • Classification symbols for recycled content: R40, R50, R60, R70, R80, R90 (≥40% to ≥90%).
• Raw materials and proportions
  • Requirements for woody raw materials, thermoplastic raw materials, and other additives (lubricants, stabilizers, compatibilisers, pigments, plasticisers).
  • Traceability: raw materials must be verified as virgin or recycled using documentation or quality certificates.
  • Mass‑fraction formulas for proportions of woody and plastic raw materials in the composite.
• Health and safety
  • Specifies health and safety requirements for WPRC used in buildings.
  • Test types include volume of volatile substances emitted (emissions) and toxic substance elution tests.
• Test methods and sampling
  • Sampling procedures and test methods are defined (including emission test chamber methods and moisture determination for mass calculations).
  • Normative references include ISO 16000 series (indoor air and emissions), ISO 12460-4 (formaldehyde), ISO 13061-1 (moisture), and analytical standards for elements.
• Labelling and reporting
  • Requirements for labelling recycled content and for the content of test and conformity reports.
• Annexes
  • Annex A: classification of woody recycled raw materials.
  • Annex B: classification of plastic raw materials accepted as recycled.

Applications and who uses it

• Manufacturers of WPRC and composite building products - to formulate, document, and declare recycled content.
• Product designers and specifiers - to ensure material composition meets recycled‑content and safety requirements.
• Testing laboratories - to perform emissions and elution testing per the standard’s methods.
• Procurement teams and architects - to select compliant, documented WPRC for building projects.
• Regulators and certification bodies - to assess claims about recycled content and indoor emissions.

Related standards (normative references)

• ISO 16000-3, ISO 16000-9 (indoor air, VOC and formaldehyde testing)
• ISO 12460-4 (formaldehyde desiccator method)
• ISO 13061-1 (moisture determination)
• ISO 1043-1 (plastic symbols/abbreviations)

Keywords: ISO 20819-1, WPRC, wood‑plastic recycled composites, recycled material content, emission test chamber, traceability, building materials, VOC emissions.