Accredited polymer testing laboratory established in Latvia

To promote the use of more environmentally friendly materials, Latvijas Zaļais punkts, in cooperation with Nordic Plast, has developed a specialised polymer testing laboratory in Latvia as part of the EU LIFE project. This laboratory will serve as a tool to assess the recyclability of plastics, thus supporting EU targets to increase the amount of recycled waste in Latvia. The laboratory is located at Eco Baltia Group’s Nordic Plast polymer recycling plant in Jelgava and was successfully accredited this year, confirming compliance with international standards.

The new laboratory is already testing various plastic products for research purposes, with the aim of defining the overall market situation regarding the availability and recyclability of plastic materials. At the same time, the possibility of providing the service to companies that manufacture or sell plastic products is being evaluated for further development.

The establishment of the new laboratory is expected to contribute accelerate Latvia’s progress towards the implementation of the European Union’s recyclable material targets. “Science and business have an excellent opportunity to work together to create products that are as environmentally friendly as possible. By providing the opportunity to locally test the recyclability of packaging, we are helping local producers to choose more environmentally friendly materials in the first place, thus contributing to the development of sustainable innovation in Latvia. We are pleased with what we have achieved so far, but the most important work is still ahead of us,” says Olga Mihailova, Head of the Polymer Testing Laboratory at Nordic Plast.

In autumn this year, Nordic Plast has received accreditation for three testing methods implemented in the laboratory, thus confirming its compliance with the international standard LVS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”. The laboratory will test high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP). This will enable packaging manufacturers to improve their products in collaboration with the scientific sector, thus contributing to the market uptake of recyclable packaging materials.

Companies involved in the production or marketing of polymer packaging can now register for an educational lecture to learn about plastics recycling processes and laboratory work to raise awareness of recycling opportunities. For registration and further information, please email [email protected].

The Polymer Testing Laboratory is being set up within the LIFE integrated project “Promoting Regional Sustainability and Circularity through Waste-to-Resources in Latvia” (LIFE WasteTo Resources IP, LIFE 20 IPE/LV/ 000014). The project is implemented with the financial support of the LIFE Programme of the European Union and the State Regional Development Agency.