• Development and updates based on scientific and practical insights from leading recycling experts, additionally supported and practically tested in approximately 2,000 assessments per year by publicly appointed and sworn experts.
• Compliance with EN 13430, ISO 14021, and the minimum standard of the ZSVR.
• Compliance with the requirements of the European Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR Articles 6 and 35).
• Scope for claiming: EU, NO, CH, UK with country-specific differentiation according to Recycling at Scale.
• Assessment of recyclability for all material types.
• No guideline-based assessment; transparent qualitative and quantitative measurement of recyclability (no ordinal rating system).

Awarded the German Packaging Award 2022 in the Digitalization category with Gold Award

CHIRA was developed as a multifunctional tool for assessing recyclability and optimizing the ecological design of packaging. Intelligent query menus for individual packaging types enable users to evaluate packaging and store it in the packaging archive, for example, by article number. The evaluation covers all material types within the EU, with national differentiation, in compliance with the German minimum standard and ISO 14021.

Designing packaging for recyclability is a fundamental prerequisite for closing material loops. In addition, environmental policies and economic drivers compel brand manufacturers, private labels, and the packaging industry to adopt eco-friendly packaging designs. Especially for large product portfolios, a practical, legally and normatively compliant tool is needed to measure and document ecological metrics and track sustainability goals. With this aim, the development of the CHIRA software tool began in 2018, based on the expertise and assessment standard for recyclability developed by the cyclos-HTP institute. The biggest challenge was to integrate expert knowledge with the structural capabilities of an IT-supported solution while maintaining user-friendliness. To address this, an input module was designed that allows the query of packaging specifications through intelligent individual menus for over 140 packaging types. The evaluation algorithms, based on CHI's expert knowledge, are stored in separate databases.

For more detailed information on CHIRA, please refer to the product information sheet and the CHIRA presentation.

PACFAST | Carbon Footprint Calculation in collaboration with CHIRA

Institut cyclos-HTP expands CHIRA to environmental assessment of packaging

In collaboration with Fraunhofer IBP/GaBi, the cyclos-HTP Institute has developed a new application for the fast calculation of carbon footprints (CF) for packaging. With PACFAST (Packaging Carbon Footprint Fast and Standardised), companies can efficiently calculate the CO² footprint of their packaging.

PACFAST utilizes automatically generated files from CHIRA, which contain all relevant packaging specifications. This accelerates the calculation of environmental profiles and is ideal for sustainability reports. The application is based on the established CHIRA software for recyclability assessment and ecological packaging optimization.

Fraunhofer IBP/GaBi has developed a workflow that links packaging information with environmental profiles of materials, as well as processing and recycling processes. This enables a complete life cycle analysis from raw material extraction to end-of-life or reuse. PACFAST can also be customized using country-specific EU datasets, eliminating time-consuming steps such as data collection.

This development allows companies to simultaneously calculate both the recyclability and carbon footprint of their packaging.

If you have any questions or are interested in our CHIRA software, our support team is happy to assist you.

Contact: chira-support@cyclos-htp.de