Unlocking Sustainability Certifications: Exploring the different Chain of Custody models

Driven by legislation, organizational commitments and consumer awareness, the need to shift to a circular economy is continuing increasing and has turned into a priority across industries. 

To demonstrate compliance with recognized certification systems, many companies opt for third-party certification for the applied chain of custody model and source certified materials. 

There are different chain of custody models that can be applied depending on the complexity and nature of the manufacturing process. The Chain of Custody model applied will affect the kind of claim that can be performed on the final product. 

There are many variables and also names atributted to the models, but we can mention the most adopted ones: 

Mass Balance: certified and non- certified material is mixed during the manufacturing processes across the supply chain and they are kept separated in bookkeeping only. The final product consists of mixed input material but does not guarantee that the certified materials attributed to a particular product or lot of products are “physically” there. 

Physical Segregation: certified and non-certified materials are strictly treated separately throughout the supply chain and in every manufacturing step. The final product contains only certified materials. This system is mostly used for organic products for example. There are some variables inside this model, like the ones that also maintain the identity of the raw material, like the origin. 

Controlled Blending: certified and non-certified materials are kept separate throughout the supply chain but are combined during the final manufacturing stage. The end product is made from a mix of these raw materials, and the exact proportions of the finished product are known. 

Contact us for more information regarding the Chain of Custody Certifications.

ISCC Certification | Sustainability Certification System (intertek.com)