Announcing DIN SPEC 91531: A Digital Standard for Recycled Plastic Packaging

Towards a Common Language: The Launch of DIN SPEC 91531

I am proud to announce the official release of DIN SPEC 91531, a project I had the honor of co-initiating alongside colleagues from the Fraunhofer IVV and industry partners. This standard marks a critical step forward in making the production of plastic packaging with recycled content more transparent, data-driven, and scalable.

What is a DIN SPEC?

While a traditional DIN Standard can take years to develop, a DIN SPEC is a fast-track process designed to establish standards for innovative technologies and emerging markets. It is developed in small, agile consortia and serves as a recognized technical rule that often paves the way for future national or international standards.

DIN SPEC

The Challenge: Data Silos in Recycling

Using recycled plastics (recyclates) in packaging is significantly more complex than using virgin materials. Variations in material quality directly impact machine settings and the final product’s integrity. To optimize these processes, companies need to exchange data across the entire value chain—from material testers to machine builders.

Until now, this data was often locked in proprietary formats or lacked a common definition, making interdisciplinary collaboration difficult.

Our Solution: DIN SPEC 91531

Title: Annotation of recorded measurement and process data for the production of plastic packaging with recycled content.

We have developed a comprehensive Ontology Draft (a semantic map) that provides a defined, machine-readable vocabulary. This ensures that when a material scientist speaks about “tensile strength” or a machine builder refers to “melt temperature,” the digital systems they use understand these terms identically.

Key Impacts:

• Interdisciplinary Exchange: Seamlessly share knowledge between material developers, packaging manufacturers, and software engineers.
• Machine Readability: Foundations for building “Dataspaces” where AI-driven systems can automatically optimize production based on material data.
• Optimized Production: Reducing waste and energy by better reacting to the specific properties of recycled materials.

Targeted at the Entire Value Chain

This document is designed for the research and development sector, manufacturers of plastic packaging, and software developers building the digital infrastructure for the next generation of manufacturing.

The development of this specification ensures that the “Patient Journey” of a plastic bottle—from recyclate to new packaging—is fully documented and optimized through high-quality, annotated data.

Access the Document

As a DIN SPEC, this document is made available to the public to foster innovation and adoption across the industry.

You can download the full document for free here: DIN SPEC 91531 at DIN Media