ISO 22526-1:2020

Overview

ISO 22526-1:2020 - "Plastics - Carbon and environmental footprint of biobased plastics - Part 1: General principles" establishes the foundational principles and system boundaries for assessing the carbon footprint and overall environmental footprint of biobased plastic products. It is an introductory guidance document for the ISO 22526 series and applies to plastic products, polymer resins and materials containing biobased or fossil-based constituents. The standard aligns LCA practice with the specificities of biobased carbon (biocarbon) and complements existing greenhouse-gas and LCA standards.

Key topics and requirements

• General principles: Follow ISO 14020 (environmental labels/declarations) and ISO 14040 (LCA principles) when adapting assessments for biobased materials.
• Material carbon footprint: Quantifies the mass of CO2 removed from the atmosphere and incorporated into 1 kg of polymer (biocarbon content). Uses biocarbon identification (e.g., C-14 signature) to calculate intrinsic CO2 reduction when substituting fossil carbon with biobased carbon.
• Process carbon footprint: Covers greenhouse-gas emissions from feedstock conversion to product (cradle-to-factory-gate) and should be calculated using ISO 14040/14044 LCA methodology and ISO 14067 principles.
• Environmental (total) footprint: Encourages full life cycle assessment beyond carbon - including other impact categories - and requires the LCA to cover the whole product, not only biobased parts.
• System boundaries: Defines system boundary options (cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-grave) and cautions on comparative LCAs, emphasizing transparent boundary declarations and data quality.
• Guidance for applications: Supports development of Product Category Rules (PCRs), harmonized certification, and unambiguous declaration in biobased value chains.

Applications and users

ISO 22526-1:2020 is practical for:

• Plastics manufacturers and resin producers assessing carbon implications of switching to biobased feedstocks.
• LCA practitioners and sustainability consultants performing product carbon and environmental footprint studies for biobased plastics.
• Procurement teams and brand owners verifying biobased content and environmental claims.
• Certification bodies and standards developers creating PCRs or schemes for biobased products.
• Policy makers and regulators seeking consistent methods for reporting biobased product impacts.

Practical outcomes include clearer accounting of material carbon footprint (biocarbon sequestration), comparable process carbon footprints, and harmonized LCA-based declarations to support responsible use of biobased plastics.

Related standards

• ISO 14040 / ISO 14044 - Life cycle assessment principles and requirements
• ISO 14067 - Carbon footprint of products
• ISO 14020 - Environmental labels and declarations
• ISO 16620 series - Determination and declaration of biobased content (Parts 1–5)

Keywords: ISO 22526-1:2020, biobased plastics, carbon footprint, environmental footprint, life cycle assessment, material carbon footprint, process carbon footprint, LCA, biocarbon.