Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH

What Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH does

Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH (CHI) is a privately held German testing, certification, and consulting institute founded in May 2014 and headquartered in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, with a second recycling-laboratory site in Aachen. The company specializes in measuring and optimizing the recyclability of packaging and products, conducting approximately 2,000 detailed assessments annually through publicly appointed and sworn experts (öffentlich bestellte und vereidigte Sachverständige under §36 GewO). Its proprietary CHI Recyclability Standard (CHI-RA), established since 2011, provides metric mass-% based recyclability scoring across 13 reference process paths and is aligned with ISO 14021, EN 13430, the German minimum standard, and the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

The institute operates across three interlocking product lines: (1) expert assessment and certification services with annual certificates valid for one year; (2) the CHIRA software family — CHIRA Basic for individual packaging evaluation and CHIRA Enterprise with ERP integration and mass data upload — plus the PACFAST carbon-footprint add-on co-developed with Fraunhofer IBP/GaBi, recognized with the German Packaging Prize 2022 Gold in Digitalization; and (3) the Recylab recycling laboratory plus consulting and R&D services covering Design for Recycling (D4R) guidelines and PPWR conformity declarations. Named customers include BASF, Mondi, Henkel, Nestlé, Werner & Mertz, Miele, Tchibo, Südpack, and Mitsubishi Chemical Group.

CHI monetizes through per-assessment certification fees, tiered software subscriptions (CHIRA Basic/Enterprise), consulting engagements, and contract research. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales for certification/consulting with a product-led self-serve motion for CHIRA software, supplemented by partnerships with Der Grüne Punkt (DSD), OFI in Austria, and PACKLIANCE for a digital PPWR conformity tool. Geographic coverage spans Germany, the EU, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, with ~27 professionals on staff.

Name

Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH

Legal name

Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH

Website

https://cyclos-htp.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH is a German Aachen-based testing, certification, and consulting institute that assesses and optimizes packaging recyclability for brand manufacturers, retailers, and packaging producers across the EU, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK, using its proprietary CHI-RA standard, CHIRA software, and publicly appointed sworn experts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaging Recyclability Consulting and Certification

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability Testing, Certification & Compliance (LCA, Recyclability/Compostability Testing, FSC/PEFC) (IMALAMAK)

Keywords

• Packaging recyclability assessment
• Recyclability certification services
• Packaging sustainability consulting
• Carbon footprint packaging
• Design for recycling consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Aachen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Assessment & Certification Services: Publicly appointed and sworn experts conduct expert assessments and certifications of packaging recyclability. Approximately 2,000 packaging assessments per year. Certificates are valid for one year. Revenue is generated through per-assessment fees for testing and certification.
2. CHIRA Software Licenses: CHIRA Basic and CHIRA Enterprise software products offered for packaging recyclability classification and optimization. CHIRA Basic provides individual packaging evaluation with automated documentation and certificate archiving. CHIRA Enterprise adds ERP integration and mass data processing. PACFAST is offered as an add-on for carbon footprint calculations in partnership with Fraunhofer IBP/GaBi.
3. Consulting Services: Comprehensive consulting services including portfolio screening, data management, CHIRA Enterprise integration, PPWR compliance declaration generation, project management, and development of customized D4R (Design for Recycling) guidelines. Services target brand manufacturers and retailers for PPWR implementation.
4. Research & Development: Contract research and in-house research projects addressing specific questions related to ecological product design and evaluation of materials and formulations. Collaboration with scientific laboratories and university partners.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH (CHI) is a research and consulting institute that assesses and certifies the recyclability of packaging and products using its proprietary CHI Recyclability Assessment (CHI-RA) methodology, performed by publicly appointed and sworn experts. It sells the CHIRA Basic and Enterprise software suite for portfolio-level recyclability evaluation and PPWR compliance, and offers consulting, ecological packaging design, laboratory testing (Recylab), and R&D services to brand manufacturers, retailers, and packaging companies across Europe.

Product overview

Institut cyclos-HTP offers a comprehensive portfolio centered on CHIRA software suite (CHIRA Basic and CHIRA Enterprise) for packaging recyclability assessment and optimization, supplemented by PACFAST for carbon footprint calculation. The core assessment methodology is grounded in the proprietary CHI Recyclability Standard and CHI Test Methods. Services include assessment and certification, ecological design consulting, R&D, and laboratory testing via Recylab. All offerings support PPWR compliance and circular economy requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CHIRA: Award-winning multifunctional software solution for packaging classification and optimization, including CHIRA Basic and CHIRA Enterprise versions for recyclability assessment and ERP integration.
• Recylab
• PACFAST

Products and services

• Assessment & Certification
• Ecological Design of Packaging

Quantifiable outcome

• Metric scaling in mass-% provides granular recyclability percentages, allowing precise tracking of recyclability improvements over time.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Fraunhofer IBP/GaBicoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2024Fraunhofer IBP/GaBi collaborated with CHI to develop PACFAST, an application for fast carbon footprint calculation for packaging. Fraunhofer developed the workflow linking CHIRA packaging data with environmental profiles of materials and processing/recycling processes, enabling complete life cycle analysis.
• OFI (Österreichisches Forschungsinstitut für Chemie und Umwelttechnik)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022OFI provides full recyclability assessments of packaging in cooperation with Institut cyclos-HTP since March 2022. The partnership combines OFI's testing infrastructure with CHI's assessment standard and expert methodology, extending CHI's reach in the Austrian market.
• Der Grüne Punkt - Duales System Deutschland GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDer Grüne Punkt serves as CHI's primary partner for recyclability assessment. The partnership involves joint promotion and service delivery where Der Grüne Punkt refers clients for CHI certification and integrates CHI assessments into their dual system compliance offerings.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SGS: World's largest testing, inspection and certification company offering packaging and ESG-related services. Comparable as a broad incumbent that can absorb packaging sustainability work into enterprise-wide TIC contracts.
• Intertek: Global TIC provider with sustainability, packaging and ESG assurance offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating an enterprise-grade certification portfolio that overlaps with CHI's assessment services.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC major with sustainability and packaging service lines targeted at regulated industries. Comparable to CHI as a large incumbent with the ability to expand into specialised recyclability certification work.
• TÜV Rheinland: Global testing, inspection and certification major with broad packaging and sustainability service lines. Comparable as a large incumbent able to bundle recyclability assessment inside broader enterprise compliance mandates.

Emerging players

• Fraunhofer IVV (Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung): Applied research institute focused on packaging and process engineering, which collaborates with CHI on workshops and recyclability studies. Comparable as a packaging sustainability research and testing counterpart in the DACH region.
• Anthesis Group: Global sustainability consultancy with packaging and circular-economy advisory offerings. Comparable as a sustainability consulting firm that addresses packaging design, recyclability and PPWR-related compliance work for large enterprises.
• Sphera (now part of Blackstone / operating under Sphera brand): Provider of life-cycle assessment software and product sustainability data (formerly including GaBi, now part of a broader sustainability suite). Comparable as a software/data platform for packaging environmental footprint and LCA work that intersects with CHIRA + PACFAST.

Direct peers

• RecyClass: Industry-wide recyclability assessment program run by Plastics Recyclers Europe. Directly comparable as it offers design-for-recycling guidelines and recyclability certification that compete with the CHI Standard across the European packaging value chain.
• cyclos GmbH: Founding partner of Institut cyclos-HTP; an Osnabrück-based recycler/recyclability assessor operating since 1993. Highly comparable as a recyclability assessment specialist with overlapping methodology and a shared leadership team with CHI.

Regional players

• OFI (Österreichisches Forschungsinstitut für Chemie und Umwelttechnik): Austrian research institute conducting recyclability assessments in cooperation with CHI since March 2022. Comparable as a testing and certification provider for packaging sustainability serving a regional (Austrian) market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cyclos-htp

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH