Mass balance is a chain of custody method that tracks the total amount of sustainable material (like recycled plastic waste) through a complex production process. It allows this sustainable material to be mixed with conventional feedstock (like fossil fuels), with the sustainable content being allocated to a portion of the final products.

Imagine a large chemical plant (the "system boundary") that uses both recycled plastic waste and traditional fossil fuels as raw materials:

Tracking Inputs

The exact amount of each type of raw material entering the plant is meticulously recorded. For example, 100 tons of recycled feedstock and 900 tons of fossil feedstock enter the system.

Mixing in Production

Inside the plant, these materials are processed together. In chemical recycling, molecules are broken down, making it impossible to physically separate the recycled content from the fossil-based content in the final products.

Calculating Outputs

The total output is measured, accounting for any material lost in the process. This is done using a conversion factor. If the process is 90% efficient, the 1,000 tons of input will yield 900 tons of output.

Attribution

Based on the input, the plant can "attribute" or "allocate" the sustainable quality to a portion of its final products. In this example, 10% of the input was recycled feedstock (100 tons), so the plant can certify 10% of the output, or 90 tons (100 tons input * 90% efficiency), as being "recycled-content based" via mass balance.

eco₂Veritas Automated Mass Balancing

eco₂Veritas automates manual work items of mass balancing, through AI-based extraction of material types and volumes along the material value chain.

eco₂Veritas elevates the mass balance approach by amending periodic, trust-based audits with continuous, evidence-based verification.

eco2Veritas creates an irrefutable "digital twin" of the material flow, ensuring unmatched integrity and transparency for certified claims.

Trash-filled streets with vibrant urban buildings in Bangladesh.

While the mass balance approach is a powerful tool for the circular economy, its traditional implementation relies heavily on periodic audits and self-reported data. This creates gaps where errors, inconsistencies, or even fraud can occur. eco₂Veritas is designed to close these gaps, transforming mass balance from a "trust-based" to a "proof-based" system.

Providing access to the digital product passport (DPP) of each delivered batch of sustainable material and to the digital twin of its production process provides ultimate proof of sustainability claims.

Secure Mass Balancing beyond Company Boundaries

Blockchain technology allows storing genuine and countable items of digital data through tokens. eco₂Veritas tokenises sustainable material on a blockchain, each token representing one tonne of material. Transferring tokens to downstream supply chain partners provides them with irrefutable proof of sourced material, with a digital link back to all evidence secured by eco₂Veritas. This chain of custody secures mass balancing along a complete supply chain.

Advantages of eco2Veritas

Simplified Compliance and Reduced Costs

Unmatched Transparency and Credibility

eco2Veritas automates the complex mass balance calculations and generates the reports required by certification standards like ISCC PLUS. This drastically reduces the administrative burden and cost of data acquisition, report generation, audit preparation, freeing up resources and minimizing compliance-related headaches.

eco₂Veritas makes the proof of provenance easily accessible. Brand owners can confidently defend their sustainability claims with a complete digital evidence locker. For consumers, a simple QR code on a final product can link directly to the blockchain record, providing a transparent view of the product's circular journey and building unparalleled brand trust.

"Trustless" Verification with Blockchain

Seamless Enhancement of Standards

All issued artefacts (e.g. certificates of recycling) are recorded as transactions on a blockchain. This allows recipients of artefacts to verify that certificates are truly issued to them and not fraudulently copied and issued to other parties as well.

eco₂Veritas is not a replacement for standards like ISCC PLUS but rather a powerful digital tool to meet and exceed their requirements with much greater efficiency and integrity. It provides the high-quality, real-time data that makes the certification process more robust and credible.

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Simplifying ISCC PLUS Certification

ISCC PLUS (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) is a globally recognised certification system for sustainability and traceability in supply chains. It is specifically designed for non-regulated markets, covering products such as bio-based, recycled, and renewable materials across industries like chemicals, plastics, and packaging. Purposes of an ISCC PLUS certification are e.g., to ensure materials are produced and processed sustainably.

With evidence captured along the supply chain or production process through eco₂Veritas, clients provide transparency across the entire supply chain and full traceability of products. ISCC PLUS certification is often used to prove compliance with voluntary sustainability claims and to support a company's environmental goals.

eco₂Veritas enables clients to fulfil all ISCC PLUS obligations based on continuously captured data from the process. All relevant auditing information is available at your finger tips.