The NGO ‘ZPO’ tells us about the origin of the OBP label

Can you briefly describe the NGO ZPO and your role within it?

ZPO is a French NGO founded in 2019 to help protect the oceans from plastic pollution. The founding team of ZPO, who were already working on this issue, wanted to launch a project focusing on the prevention of plastic pollution upstream, by promoting the collection of waste at risk of ending up in the oceans. ZPO's founding principles are pragmatism and effectiveness.

• Why did you launch OBP?

When we launched ZPO, we wanted to raise funds from the plastics industry to finance the collection of plastics at risk of ending up in the oceans (Ocean Bound Plastic). We then wanted this collection to be carried out by social enterprises or NGOs, wherever in the world this was necessary. OBP certification initially focused solely on collection, and was intended to guarantee that the plastics collected were indeed OBP, and therefore that ocean pollution was effectively reduced.

Fundraising proved almost impossible on the scale required. At the same time, those involved in collection and recycling told us of their interest in this label, which would enable them to better value and sell the plastic collected, and therefore to collect more. We have therefore extended the certification to cover the entire value chain of collection and recycling, as well as the plastic credit component for non-commercially recyclable fractions.

• What are the label's key criteria? How is it reliable?

OBP can follow two value chains. If it is commercially recyclable, certification makes it possible to identify the origin of the raw material and to ensure traceability and the chain of control throughout the transformation process, so that a specific recycled PBO content can be claimed in the final product. If the plastic collected has no commercial value for recycling, certification makes it possible to identify the origin of the raw material and to ensure the traceability of the collection, transport and approved final processing of the waste, making it possible to issue specific volumes of plastic credits for the environmental service provided.

In both cases, the main criteria are: the origin of the plastic waste collected, the collection conditions and methods, the guarantee of ethical and social collection, traceability throughout the value chain, and the final treatment or management of the waste.

ZPO does not carry out auditing and certification activities directly, but relies on approved certification bodies such as Ecocert, which guarantees the reliability of the label and assures end customers that the plastic collected is genuinely OBP, which constitutes a guarantee of impact.

• Which sectors and types of company do you work with?

Certification starts at the first stage of the supply chain. Initially, most of the projects were collection organisations associated with NGOs, mainly in India and South-East Asia. In terms of the recycling value chain, as certified products moved up the supply chain, many recycling facilities, particularly in China, joined the programme, offering flakes, granules, yarns, fabrics, as well as everyday consumer products such as bags, wallets, cases, packaging materials, etc., to the rest of the world.

Any company, whatever its size or origin - from collection centres to brands - can obtain OBP certification adapted to its activity.

• What are the biggest challenges in the packaging sector?

There are many challenges facing the packaging industry, whether they be regulatory, economic, technological or environmental. From an environmental point of view, which is of particular interest to us, the use of recycled plastic can be a relevant solution for reducing the carbon footprint, plastic pollution and, more generally, the environmental impact of packaging. However, technical and regulatory constraints, particularly for engineering plastics (for example in the automotive industry) or plastics for food use, make the incorporation of recycled plastic complex, and often limited to a small percentage. Incorporating only a small proportion of recycled plastic exposes brands to accusations of greenwashing.

OBP certification, thanks to the precise definitions of OBP, the social impact it generates (in particular with the Social+ label), and the verification by a third party at source, provides a stronger guarantee against the risk of accusations of greenwashing. Alternatively, the use of OBP Credits can also represent a very robust solution, thanks to the way in which these credits are generated in the OBP system.

• Why choose Ecocert as your partner?

Ecocert is a certification body that has always promoted and disseminated more responsible environmental and social practices in various fields, in line with our objective of protecting the ocean. Present throughout the world, Ecocert is the first certification body to have its OBP headquarters in Europe, in France - which we hope will enable the OBP label to develop further in Europe.

• What are your ambitions for 2025?

We have recently made some important additions to the OBP label, including a dedicated certification for brands, as well as a Social+ component focused on significantly improving the living conditions of informal collectors. In 2025, we want to consolidate these integrations and grow them, as well as, of course, the rest of the programme, in order to multiply our impact** by increasing the number of organisations collecting OBP. For my part, being based in South America (Peru), I hope to develop certification further locally and in the region. - Adriana Amico, Co Founder ZPO