• CEN/TS 16295 is applicable to polymers and plastic products (semi-finished and finished).
• Superseded by EN 17228
• ISO/IEC 17025:2017-accredited Beta Analytic is not affiliated with CEN or CEN/TC 249.

CEN/TS 16295 was developed by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), specifically the Technical Committee CEN/TC 249 “Plastics.” This technical specification (CEN/TS) provides requirements for the declaration, including statements and labels, of the biobased carbon content of polymers, plastic materials, semi-finished plastic products, and finished plastic products, including composites.

According to this technical specification, the biobased carbon content of a polymer or plastic material shall be determined according to CEN/TS 16137:2011 provided that the minimum total organic carbon content is 5%. CEN/TS 16137 is the equivalent of ASTM D6866. Both are based on radiocarbon analysis.

The evaluation and verification of the declaration of the biobased carbon content shall be done according to the principles given in EN ISO 14020 and EN ISO 14021. CEN/TS 16295 does not cover the declaration of biomass content expressed as a percentage of the total mass of a material. In this technical specification, the biobased content of a polymer is expressed as a fraction of the total organic carbon content.

CEN/TS 16295:2012 (Plastics – Determination of bio-based carbon content) was first published on February 15, 2012.

Note: A Technical Specification (TS) is a pre-standard that contains technical requirements. Although it is produced and approved by a CEN Technical Committee, it doesn’t have the status of a European Standard (EN). A TS may be adopted as a national standard. Its maximum lifetime though is only between two to three years. A TS can be converted into an EN standard if it will go through a CEN Enquiry and a Formal Vote.

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Page Last Updated: June 2024