On April 14, 2026, the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) published a report as part of its Series on Risk Management of Chemicals. “Chemical content validation of recycled plastics” reviews the current state of chemical safety in recycled plastics, challenges facing the field, and recommendations for supporting safety and circularity in plastics recycling.
According to the report and previous assessments by the OECD, by 2040, plastic production will increase by 70% globally. While plastics have societal benefits, they can also contain over 13,000 intentionally and non-intentionally added substances, many of which may be of concern to human health and the environment (FPF reported). Recycling could be one option to address the demand for plastics, but chemicals of concern can persist and accumulate in recycled plastics, leading to potentially increased toxicity compared to virgin plastics (FPF reported).
The report states that being able to determine the chemical content of recycled plastic would make it easier to ensure its chemical safety. However, there are currently many obstacles when working towards this goal. For example, there is no single technique that can be used to detect all substances present in recycled plastics; many complementary methods are needed. As a result, testing is time-consuming, complex and expensive, requiring upfront investment and ongoing skilled staff with little available automation. In addition, a lack of international harmonized standards regarding the chemical safety of recycled plastic results in inconsistent enforcement. Traceability also remains limited for imported plastic waste streams, potentially increasing the chemicals of concern entering the recycled material supply chain.
Based on its assessment, the OECD recommends an integrated approach to address the challenge posed by chemicals in recycled plastic, including harmonized international standards, economic incentives, research collaborations, robust analytical techniques, and chemical traceability systems. It makes several policy recommendations that could contribute to this vision, such as:
- Taking action upstream to restrict problematic chemicals in products made with virgin plastics, reducing chemical complexity of products, and designing with recyclability and chemical safety in mind
- Improving the transparency of chemical content in plastic products
- Strengthening downstream recycling measures to reduce heterogeneity of plastic waste, expand closed-loop recycling systems, and scale up advanced recycling technologies
- Developing international standards for chemical content analysis and providing resources to support analysis, including economic and research incentives and a publicly available chemical database
Many of these recommendations are echoed by other entities, however, a report commissioned by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in 2024 found that the technical feasibility, environmental benefits, and economic viability of chemical recycling (i.e., advanced recycling) are not sufficiently proven (FPF reported). The claimed decontamination potential of the plastic waste has yet to be demonstrated in practice, particularly so that the “contamination is not merely shifted to other products or residues.” That report came to similar conclusions that clear definitions and rules are needed to avoid greenwashing.
The OECD acknowledges “that current knowledge of the potential human health and environmental risks from chemicals of concern in recycled plastics has limitations and uncertainties.” It therefore proposes that future policy decisions should include cost-benefit and socio-economic analyses that consider the current scientific evidence on the known health and environmental impacts.
Reference
OECD (April 14, 2026). “Chemical content validation of recycled plastics.”
