Henkel has expanded its packaging testing capabilities in Asia-Pacific after its Packaging Recyclab laboratory in Shanghai received accreditation from the cyclos-HTP Institute (CHI), enabling the facility to conduct recognized paper packaging recyclability assessments.

The accreditation gives packaging manufacturers, converters and brand owners in China and other Asia-Pacific markets access to testing aligned with established European recyclability methodologies without having to send packaging samples to laboratories in Europe.

The development comes as exporters prepare for increasingly detailed packaging requirements in the European Union, including those introduced under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

Shanghai Lab Brings European Testing Closer to Exporters

For packaging suppliers serving European customers, recyclability is increasingly becoming a design and market-access consideration rather than an assessment carried out only after packaging has been commercialized.

Henkel’s Shanghai Packaging Recyclab can now provide external assessment reports under its accredited testing capabilities, allowing companies in the region to evaluate paper packaging closer to where products are developed and manufactured.

Local testing could reduce the logistical requirements associated with sending samples overseas while giving development teams recyclability information earlier in the design process.

This is particularly relevant to China and other major Asia-Pacific manufacturing markets supplying packaged products to European customers.

Laboratory Uses CEPI/4evergreen and CHI Methodologies

The Shanghai facility currently works with two European approaches for evaluating the recyclability of paper-based packaging: the CEPI/4evergreen protocol and CHI methodology.

These assessments examine how packaging behaves during recycling rather than considering paper content alone.

That distinction matters as modern paper packaging increasingly incorporates functional elements needed to provide sealing, barrier properties, print performance and product protection.

Adhesives, coatings and other packaging components can affect fibre recovery and the behavior of a structure during the recycling process.

Testing therefore gives packaging developers evidence they can use when evaluating whether a complete structure is compatible with the intended recycling stream.

PPWR Increases Focus on Packaging Recyclability

The accreditation also arrives as companies adapt their packaging portfolios to the EU’s PPWR.

The regulation introduces requirements covering areas including recyclability, recycled content in plastic packaging, substances of concern, reuse and extended producer responsibility.

For exporters, this means packaging specifications increasingly need to be supported by technical information and documentation throughout the supply chain.

Testing packaging during development can help companies identify potential recyclability problems before designs reach commercial production.

Henkel said its approach is intended to incorporate recyclability considerations from the beginning of packaging development rather than treating end-of-life performance as a separate final-stage assessment.

Packaging Recyclab Connects Testing With Material Development

The Shanghai facility forms part of Henkel’s wider Packaging Recyclab network, which also includes laboratory capabilities in Düsseldorf, Germany.

It is also integrated with Henkel’s Inspiration Center network.

This allows customers to work with technical specialists across several stages of packaging development, including material selection, testing, recyclability assessment and optimization.

For Henkel, the model is particularly relevant to its adhesives and coatings business because these materials can influence both packaging functionality and recycling performance.

The objective is to examine how individual components interact within the complete packaging structure rather than assessing them only in isolation.

Plastic Packaging Testing Planned Next

Henkel is preparing to extend the Shanghai laboratory’s capabilities beyond fibre-based packaging.

Work is underway to introduce plastic packaging recyclability assessments, with additional export packaging categories expected to be considered as the laboratory’s scope develops.

Expanding into plastics would broaden the relevance of the facility for flexible and rigid packaging manufacturers operating across Asia-Pacific.

For packaging exporters, the Shanghai accreditation ultimately provides another route for bringing regulatory considerations into product development earlier.

As recyclability requirements become more influential in packaging specifications, having recognized testing capabilities closer to Asia’s manufacturing base could shorten the feedback loop between material selection, packaging design, testing and commercial production.

Last Updated on 18/08/2026 by Jota Machinery