“Microplastics” has been a documented environmental finding for two decades [1], plastic waste generation has grown from roughly 180 to nearly 400 million tonnes a year over that time [2], and the WHO's own 2019 review found the underlying science still lacks standardized measurement methods [3]. Into that gap, “microplastic-free” has become common packaging language — almost never backed by an accredited test, a published method, or a threshold anyone derived from anything.
MPFREE exists to make that claim testable: a published Standard, tested by accredited labs against thresholds set by a body structurally separate from MPFREE’s own commercial interest, with every certification’s status and history public. See the Standard and the White Paper for how that actually works.
Three separate parties, none of which is also either of the others:
Runs the registry, reviews applications against fixed published criteria, and is funded by certification and seal-licensing fees — see Funding below.
Independent of MPFREE’s commercial team; sets and reviews numeric thresholds. See how threshold-setting works.
Independently ISO/IEC 17025-accredited; run the actual tests. MPFREE staff do not perform testing.
MPFREE is funded by certification application fees and ongoing seal-licensing fees paid by certified organizations (see Services and the Seal Usage Policy). Stated plainly: MPFREE’s revenue increases when more organizations are certified and stay certified.
That is a real conflict of interest, and it is the specific reason threshold-setting is delegated to an independent Scientific Advisory Board rather than decided by MPFREE internally, why applications are tested against fixed published criteria rather than negotiated per applicant, why testing itself is run by independently accredited labs rather than MPFREE staff, and why a suspended or revoked certification’s history stays permanently visible in the public registry rather than being quietly removed.
MPFREE’s legal entity structure (nonprofit vs. for-profit) has not yet been finalized publicly — this section will be updated with that determination rather than asserting one now.
There’s no monitored inbox wired up yet — this form saves a real record for someone to follow up on manually.