Switzerland-based NGO World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has established a set of principles to help ensure that chemical recycling technologies will serve a useful, complementary role in the circular economy. These principles are intended to help decision-makers identify conditions under which chemical recycling approaches could provide value to the system and contribute to overall improvements in circularity and environmental benefits.

WWF has said in its principles that chemical recycling should not divert resources from efforts to implement existing proven approaches to address the global plastic pollution problem; chemical recycling processes should demonstrate a reduced carbon footprint compared with the production of virgin resin; and chemical recycling must not negatively impact local communities and must demonstrate their operation is safe for human health.

The principles include safeguarding nature – chemical recycling technologies must not adversely impact our air, water, and environment; use of chemical recycling should be complementary to existing waste management systems and not compete for feedstocks with mechanical recycling; plastic waste streams should be matched to the most environmentally efficient technology available; and only material-to-material applications of chemical recycling should be considered recycling and part of a circular economy.

The other principles listed by WWF are chemical recycling systems should not transform recyclable material into nonrecyclable material, claims made regarding chemical recycling should be true, clear, and relevant and plastic recycled with chemical recycling technologies should be verified with chain of custody.