What is post consumer recycled plastic – and why is it so ...

Post-consumer Recycled Plastic

As today is #plasticfreebeautyday we wanted to highlight why we have chosen to use post consumer recycled plastic for our Strengthening Silk Protein Shampoo and Strengthening-Essence Conditioner bottles.

Link to EcoPlas

Strengthening Silk Protein Shampoo (200ml, £36) and Strengthening-Essence Conditioner  (200ml, £36) 

Why is post consumer recycled plastic so important?

Plastic waste is one of the biggest global threats to the environment today, caused by the linear, single-use packaging models that companies (not least beauty companies) have been using for far too long. MONPURE want to be part of the current movement towards &#;closing the loop&#; on waste, using plastic that&#;s not just recyclable but is itself made from post consumer recycled materials.

What is post consumer recycled plastic?

Virgin plastic is a type of plastic that is brand new i.e. it has not been made from recycled materials. In many cases, this type of plastic can be recycled. However this isn&#;t an ideal scenario, given that in the UK alone, more than half &#; or 51 million tonnes &#; of recyclable waste ends up in landfill or is destroyed.

Post-process recycled plastic uses recycled plastic, but not from the bottles and packets that consumers throw away. Instead it comes from moulding factories who have scraps of plastic left over, which then get recycled into new objects. There are also rumours of corporations who boast &#;recycled plastic&#; packaging, but who first make virgin plastic bottles for the sole purpose of &#;recycling&#; them (sad but true!) &#; so they&#;re not as eco-conscious as you might think.

Post consumer recycled plastic is a type of plastic that has been reprocessed from other products that have been used and thrown away by consumers. A lot of the time, plastic objects that get discarded and recycled will get made into the same object (so an old shampoo bottle will be recycled to make a new one) thus closing the waste loop. This means that eventually, less plastic will end up in landfills, or in our oceans. 

Unfortunately, it&#;s not always easy &#; or cheap &#; to recycle post consumer plastic. If you think about the processes involved (collecting, washing, disinfecting, sorting, re-processing, and redistributing it) it&#;s not the most straightforward of processes. There are also issues such as irregularities in colour and the grade of plastic used.

However, MONPURE remain committed to our pledge to help turn the tide on plastic waste. We believe that if we have to use plastic, post consumer recycled plastic &#; that is also recyclable &#; is the best way forward for our planet.

&#;But I put all my plastic into the recycle bin &#; isn&#;t that enough?&#;

When it comes to plastics getting put in the right bins and picked up, there is an important difference in the &#;recovery rate&#; and &#;recycling rate&#;. Recovery rate means the amount of plastic that gets picked up from bins like the ones you probably use at home. It then gets sorted for recycling &#; and the amount that eventually gets sent to a recycling facility is the recycling rate. The rest gets sent to either a landfill or &#;energy from waste&#; facility. So if you use a post consumer recycled plastic product, as we at MONPURE do, you can rest assured that you&#;re not potentially adding to the amount of waste plastic that&#;s already in circulation.

Our Strengthening Silk Protein Shampoo and Strengthening-Essence Conditioner bottles are 100% post consumer recycled plastic &#; we designed, modelled and tested many different versions until we were happy with the end result. 

But we&#;re not stopping there. As our brand grows, we have further goals to help dismantle the culture of disposable plastic and encourage consumers to be more mindful, so that our beautiful planet is preserved for future generations.

Click here to read about the many other ways we&#;re making a difference.

What does it mean when products are made from post-consumer recycled content? Learn how your brand can stay sustainable and give used materials another life!

In spite of worldwide recycling efforts, landfill disposal remains the leading waste disposal technique (50%). And as such, the world's largest landfill site alone receives 3.8 million tons of waste annually.

As sustainability leaders explore innovative methods and materials to lower this number, one of the most highly pursued interests is post-consumer recycled content (PCR).

PCR-based products help reduce the need for landfill waste disposal, owing to their multiple life cycles. Manufacturers can recycle and reintroduce them into the supply chain once they&#;ve reached the end of their useful life.

But this process isn&#;t as simple as sorting our trash into different bins and taking it to the curb on recycling day. Recycling abounds in jargon and acronyms. Businesses transitioning to PCR packaging should take the time to learn these terms. In this article, we&#;ll review the basics.

&#;&#; Recycled content terms explained

Here's the kicker: Post-consumer recycled content isn&#;t always present in recycled products. Find out the truth about recycled content to avoid being misled.

Recycled content

Recycled content refers to materials recovered from the waste stream during production or after consumer use. It's the sum of pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled materials used in a product. The greater the sum, the fewer virgin materials are used in the product.

Some products come with labels indicating the recycled content used. A kraft mailer made from 20% manufacturing scrap trimmings (pre-consumer) and 45% curbside recycling bins (post-consumer) would disclose a total recycled content of 65%.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Post-Consumer Plastic Reuse.

The following example illustrates how this works in practice: Footwear company Barbara Bennett uses noissue&#;s Custom Tissue Paper packaging that&#;s made from 30% recycled material and 70% new acid-free virgin pulp. In this case, 30% represents the combination of pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled content. Here&#;s what the packaging material looks like:

noissue Custom Compostable Tissue Paper by @barbarabennett__

Post-consumer recycled (PCR)

Post-consumer recycled content comes from products that have reached their life cycle and would have otherwise ended up in landfills. These include items you typically toss in garbage bins, such as plastic bottles, food containers, aluminum cans, and shipping boxes.

Municipal recycling programs collect and transport this solid waste to recycling facilities. The recycled content then becomes raw materials for new production cycles.

Production > Consumption > End of life > Recycling > Reproduction

Note: Production waste that doesn&#;t enter the consumer market isn&#;t accounted for as post-consumer recycled content.

noissue Recycled Mailers are made from 100% recycled LDPE and HDPE and come in a variety of sizes

Pre-consumer content

Pre-consumer content consists of discarded materials during production, including rejects and offcuts. But as per ISO , it doesn&#;t include rework, regrind, or scrap generated on-site and reused in the same or another manufacturing process.

So if a paper mill worker picks up some paperboard cuttings and feeds it back into the pulping process, it doesn&#;t count as pre-consumer content. That&#;s because the goal here is efficient production, not recycling. But if the company uses the cuttings to make new low-grade paperboard instead of discarding them, the material is considered pre-consumer content

Note: Pre-consumer content, a.k.a. post-industrial waste, never makes it to the final goods distributed to consumers. But the material can be recycled, becoming post-industrial recycled content.

Post-industrial recycled (PIR)

Post-industrial recycled refers to recovered or reclaimed materials from manufacturing waste. Piggybacking off our paper mill example above: Imagine cutting up paperboard and bleaching it to produce kraft boxes, that&#;s PIR. The same applies if the company sells the reclaimed materials to a third-party manufacturer or donates them to recycling programs.

noissue Stock Kraft Boxes are made from 100% recycled materials and printed using eco-friendly inks

Whether it's a legal mandate or a cost-cutting strategy, companies now recognize the value of repurposing post-industrial waste. This saves them a significant chunk of money on waste collection and disposal. They also don&#;t have to outsource recycled materials as they already have them on hand.

Post-consumer waste (PCW)

Post-consumer waste (PCW) includes cardboard boxes, magazines, and toilet paper. PCW is one of the most recommended packaging materials because it supplies roughly 50% of the fiber used to make paper.

In terms of sustainability, PCW has greater contributions than other recycled materials. The latest EPA data shows paper and paperboard have the highest recycling rate (68%) compared to other municipal solid waste.

Furthermore, every ton of recycled PCW reduces greenhouse gas emissions by one metric ton of carbon equivalent. That&#;s like saving 7,000 gallons of water, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, and energy to power the average American home for six months.

Be it PCR or PCW, recycling post-consumer materials is a simple yet effective way to help the environment. Anyone, especially SMB owners, can contribute to this environmental cause with PCR packaging.

What are the benefits of PCR packaging?

Packaging accounts for about 36% of all plastic produced, of which 85% end up in landfills. What&#;s worse is that 98% of single-use plastics are made from virgin materials.

Post-consumer recycled content closes the loop on sustainable packaging by reducing virgin material consumption and end-consumer waste. Business-wise, it&#;s also an effective way to reduce costs while helping you achieve your sustainability goals. The following reasons may persuade you:

• PCR packaging can boost your bottom line. 67% of customers prefer shopping for products that come in recyclable packaging. Switching to PCR can help attract these sales while reducing disposal costs &#; thus, increasing your net profit.
• PCR packaging can help turn your customers into advocates. 77% of conscious consumers want to level up their sustainability efforts, with recycling being one of them. Thanks to PCR packaging, you can fulfill this demand and nurture them in the long run.
• PCR packaging can put you ahead of the competition. Customers pressure 75% of firms to take sustainability actions, but one-third have been slow to respond. Taking action today with PCR packaging can build your brand and make it stand out among your competitors.

noissue Custom Poly Mailers are made from 100% recycled materials and are customizable on both sides!

How does PCR packaging differ from compostable and recyclable packaging?

PCR, compostable, and other recyclable packaging are all sustainable. Consumers can reuse, recycle, or compost them instead of dumping them after a single use. However, their manufacturing process and life cycle differ.

For compostable packaging, either a home compost pile or a commercial facility will do. Otherwise, the packaging might not degrade and reach landfills.

Meanwhile, PCR packaging raw material degrades with each recycling loop. It's also why most packaging companies don't use 100% post-consumer recycled content. To ensure eco-efficiency and quality, they use a combination of PCR content and virgin materials.

The waste cycle is complete after the PCR packaging fully degrades. Customers only need to separate and dispose of it properly, and recycling facilities will take care of the rest.

How to make the switch to PCR packaging

Now that you're familiar with the terminologies and benefits of recycling, it's time to take action and outsource your packaging. List your options and speak with prospective suppliers to see what's out there.

Your packaging should reflect your brand identity. Along with recyclable materials, prioritize factors such as quality, functionality, and aesthetics. Run a cost-and-benefit analysis before making a decision.

&#; That's a Wrap!

If you haven't compiled a list yet, noissue has circular packaging options you can choose from. Express your brand and take an eco-stand with our circular packaging solutions today. Sell sustainably and help reduce landfill pollution.

For more Is PCR Plastic Recyclableinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.