Verra Plastic Waste Reduction Standard

Why seek Plastic Waste Reduction Verification?

• Gain Revenue – Trade your plastic credits and get rewarded financially
• Reduce Risk – Assure funders and buyers of plastic credits that your projects are making real reduction of plastic waste
• Improve Brand Reputation – Stand out amongst competitors with a focus on reducing plastic
• Meet ESG Commitments – Contribute to Net Zero Plastic declarations from you or your customers
• Use a Verified Claim – Obtain the Verified Plastic Reduction Standard logo to substantiate your claim
• Learn Operational Efficiencies – Gain best practices for your operations by following the Standard

Why verify with SCS?

• Exceptional Customer Support: Receive timely, expert, and professional service throughout the verification process
• Team of quality auditors – Leverage our over 15+ years of technical expertise in offset verification towards assessing your plastic waste reduction project  
• Highly engaged in the industry – Utilize SCS as a resource, as we helped develop the Plastic Standard and are on the Verra Advisory Board
• Leverage sustainability knowledge – Collaborate with SCS' many other sustainability programs related to plastics and other waste

How to Generate Plastic Credits

Steps to verifying plastic waste collection and/or recycling towards issuance of plastic credits can be categorized into the following three phases:

Phase 1: Project Feasibility

Plastic Program documents are reviewed to determine whether the project meets basic eligibility requirements. There is a high-level evaluation that the project meets legal requirements, has proper ownership rights, and would generate plastic waste reductions in line with all rules and requirements in the Plastic Standard.

Phase 2: Project Development

This phase involves developing the project design and activities involved with the implementation of the plastic waste collection and/or recycling project.  For both the project design and implementation, documentation is required to demonstrate how the project meets all of the rules and requirements of the Plastic Standard and the applicable collection and/or recycling methodologies.

Since the requirements in the Plastic Standard and the methodologies are highly technical in nature, many project proponents may find it beneficial to work with the SCS Consulting team who have ample experience helping with the project registration process, rule interpretation, and document preparation prior to the validation and verification by the SCS verification team. Note that the SCS Consulting team works independently from the SCS verification team, and working with the consulting team is not a requirement, as project proponents are free to work independently and ask Verra questions on their phase 1 and 2 processes for interpretation of the rules and requirements.

Phase 3: Project Validation and Verification

Once your project documentation is complete, an accredited third-party verifier like the SCS Verification team is brought in to ensure that the project (and associated documentation) meets the requirements of the Plastic Standard. This is done through a desk review and a site visit.

During each phase of the process, we will let you know if there are any areas where the project does not meet the requirements, and you are provided with an opportunity to correct them. Should these issues be resolved, we will issue a report that will be available for the Plastic Program to review, and issue plastic credits.

Accredited Verification Body

SCS is accredited to ISO 14065 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to offer plastic offset project validation and verification under Verra’s Plastic Waste Reduction Standard.

Plastic Offset Services

• Pre-assessment or gap analysis – SCS can conduct a gap analysis prior to initiating the project. A gap analysis can identify technical issues prior to final verification.
• Project design validation – SCS can validate the design of your plastic project to determine your eligibility for verification. Please contact our offset verification staff at any point in the development stages of your project.
• Verification of project-based plastic collection and/or recycling – SCS can verify plastic collection and/or recycling.
• Methodology Assessment – SCS can help you develop a plastic waste-related methodology for plastic offset projects where no prior methodology exists.

Verra Plastic Waste Reduction Methodologies

• Plastic Waste Collection
• Plastic Waste Recycling

Project Types

Below are some of the project types that SCS can verify. If you don’t see your project type listed below, please contact us to ask.

• Informal and formal plastic waste collection
• Infrastructure development for plastic waste collection and sorting
• Mechanical recycling
• Chemical recycling (e.g., Pyrolysis)

Material Types

• Composite Materials (packaging and non-packaging)
• EPS (EPS Foam)
• HDPE (bottles, films, injection, rigid, etc.)
• LDPE (bottles, films and flexibles, etc.)
• PET (bottles, durables, thermoforms, rigid, etc.)
• PP (bottles, bulky rigid, films and flexibles, etc.)
• PS (injection, etc.)
• PVC (bottles, construction, extrusion, medical, etc.)
• Other plastics (Polylactic Acid, Polycarbonate, polyamide – nylon, acrylic, ABS, etc.)

Complementary SCS Services

In addition, SCS provides certifications for Recycled Content, Global Recycled Standard, and Zero Waste, among many others. SCS is accredited to verify carbon offset projects under sustainability standards such as the Verified Carbon Standard (Verra), The American Carbon Registry, and Climate Action Reserve. We also work with organizations to measure and verify their GHG inventories. Ask us for more information about sustainability standards, and we can help to identify which solutions best fit your needs

Q. What is the difference between plastic waste reduction validation and plastic waste reduction verification?
Validation is the process of evaluating the design of a project's plan for plastic waste collection and/or recycling. Verification is the process of evaluating calculations of the actual amount of plastic collected and/or recycled through the implementation of the project.

Q. How long will the plastic offset verification process take?
A typical verification takes 3-6 months. The length of verification depends on the size and complexity of the project, the standards used, and the project type. The duration is also affected by how well the project developer is prepared and on response time to findings.

Q. To which standards does SCS verify plastic waste reductions?
SCS can verify plastic offset projects to the Plastic Waste Reduction Standard by Verra. For carbon offset projects, SCS verifies to the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Climate Action Reserve (CAR), or the American Carbon Registry (ACR); SCS can also verify projects being developed in the US to the California Air Resource Board (ARB) Compliance Offset Protocols (COPs). Carbon offset projects with exemplary social and environmental components may be verified to the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (CCBS) or the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta).

Q. How much does Plastic Offset Validation or Verification cost?
Cost depends on factors such as project size, location, complexity, type, and level of preparedness. Contact SCS for a customized quote.

Q. How do I know when my plastic offset project is ready for validation and verification?
Projects can be validated and verified once they have a completed Project Design Document (PDD) that complies with the relevant Standard. SCS often recommends conducting an internal audit to make sure the document is complete and to save time down the road.

Q. Can SCS help me prepare for my audit?
The SCS Consulting team, which works independently from the SCS verification team, can help prepare you for the audit.

Q. Does SCS help project developers sell offsets or credits?
No, we do not participate in the buying and selling of credits.