ISCC PLUS is a voluntary certification scheme for verifying sustainability characteristics of alternative feedstocks and tracking them through the supply chain. For a plastic alternative claim, a supplier certificate alone is not enough. The product scope, feedstock category, certified sites, chain-of-custody option, transaction records and proposed page wording should be reviewed as one evidence record.
1. Define the product scope before writing “green”
Start with the specific SKU, polymer or formulation, finished-good component, production site, supply-chain actors and target market. ISCC’s ISCC PLUS overview explains that every relevant element of the supply chain must be covered by certification. A factory certificate, a feedstock document and a brand’s product page therefore cannot be treated as interchangeable simply because the names look similar.
Create a product–material–document register with at least: SKU and model; material or component; applicable feedstock category; certified entity and address; certificate number and scope; chain-of-custody option; transaction or delivery evidence; and the exact page sentence being proposed. HS codes, packaging rules and import requirements must be checked separately for the target market; ISCC PLUS does not automatically place a product into one common regulatory route.
2. The chain-of-custody option controls the claim
ISCC PLUS can use physical segregation, controlled blending and mass balance. Keep the option consistent across the certificate, transaction records and page copy. Do not describe one option as another.
Physical segregation: materials with different attributes remain physically separated, with records showing source, movement and the related product.
Controlled blending: materials may be blended under the applicable system requirements, while quantities, attributes and output allocation remain verifiable.
Mass balance: certified and non-certified materials may be physically mixed, while the quantity and sustainability characteristics of alternative feedstock are tracked through verifiable bookkeeping. Mass balance should not be described as a physically separable certified ingredient in the finished product, or as an unrestricted physical-content percentage.
3. Evidence checklist: give every page claim a source
Entity and scope: certified entity, site, certificate number and status, product or material scope, and relevant supply-chain elements.
Material and transactions: feedstock category, input and output quantities, purchase and delivery records, applicable transaction certificates, and the link between inputs and outputs.
Product and page: SKU, model, formulation or BOM, the relevant component in the product or packaging, page images, title, bullets and exact detail-page sentences. Environmental-impact or GHG statements need their own substantiation rather than an automatic inference from ISCC status.
The same scheme name does not mean the same scope. Check the entity, address, site, product category, feedstock category, chain-of-custody option and dates. If a supplier provides only a screenshot, request a verifiable document or database record. Do not publish expanded claims such as “entire range,” “100%,” “zero fossil,” or “fully recyclable” without evidence that specifically supports the wording.
4. ISCC logos and claims are not decorative assets
ISCC’s Logos and Claims document requires communication to reflect items such as the feedstock category, certified share, chain-of-custody option and certified product component. Brand owners at the end of the supply chain may also need to meet licensing conditions for finished-good claims. New or revised artwork involving an ISCC on-product logo or claim should follow the official review process. Without the relevant certification, licence or approval basis, do not place an ISCC graphic logo on a cover, package or webpage.
Review each sentence with four questions: does it describe sourcing, chain of custody, a product component or an environmental effect? Which SKU and supply-chain record supports it? Has mass balance been incorrectly presented as physical content? Does the sentence imply an outcome that the evidence does not establish? If one answer is unclear, narrow or remove the sentence.
Sources and limits
This reference is based on ISCC System’s ISCC PLUS overview, its chain-of-custody guidance for ISCC PLUS 203-1/203-2, the Mass Balance Guidance document as marked by ISCC, and ISCC 208 Logos and Claims. Products, markets and platforms may impose additional requirements. This page is not a substitute for market-specific legal advice, a certification-body audit or an individual platform review.
Sources: ISCC PLUS; ISCC chain-of-custody options; ISCC Licensing Scheme; ISCC 208 Logos and Claims.
