While post consumer recycled resin seems to be the leading option to accomplish packaging sustainability in the industry, there are several considerations to make when sourcing PCR material:
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There are four main plastics used in packaging: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Currently, high density polyethylene (HDPE) and PET recycling are more common than others. The infrastructure is built to support the collection of these materials and many CPGs lead initiatives to educate consumers to recycle. PP is readily recyclable but needs more infrastructure and education around the material. Finally, PS is also recyclable as it is extremely tolerant to “re-melting,” but its collection presents difficulties due to its form factor.
Certain plastics are like oil and water—they don’t mix well. The contamination caused by their mixing, or worse yet, the addition of other factors (such as food, dirt, or other contaminants) can render the resins very difficult to reuse. The makeup of the post consumer resins can be a big obstacle in the industry’s endeavor to achieve a truly circular economy, which is a critical piece for packaging sustainability.
In addition, based on your company’s performance requirements of the product, the mixing of the materials can lead to further complications in achieving goals. Almost 60% of European plastics converting companies find it “hard” or “very hard” to reuse plastic scrap due to contamination, according to a European Plastics Converters Association study.
Then how can you ensure 100% purity for packaging materials?
The first step is to establish a set of recycled material goals for your product. Then, you need to partner with your supplier to evaluate and understand their sources and supply chain. They must have the appropriate quality controls and tests in place to ensure the material supplied meets your product’s specifications.
Therefore, it is imperative that you have full visibility into your supplier ecosystem and a strong understanding of how the post-consumer recycled plastic was sourced, processed and produced.
Not every type of recycled resin works for every use case or complies with applicable regulations.
In the United States, the FDA has guidelines for the use of recycled plastics in food packaging. Specifically, they have three concerns that:
Europe has more stringent guidelines. Under a regulation set over a decade ago, only “food-contact materials and articles that contain recycled plastic obtained from an authorized recycling process” may be used in the EU.
It is very likely that in the future more industry standards will be developed, and perhaps also government regulation, to ensure the material really is what it should be. Brands once again can partner with governments worldwide to help shape regulation and drive post consumer recycled content forward.
Over the long term, this area will become more like medicine or food—when we go to a grocery or drug store, we hardly ever think about whether the medicine or food is “good” or “safe.” We rely on the system in the background which ensures that it is.
Finding a steady source of high-quality post consumer recycled plastic is a difficult endeavor today. Consumers are not yet recycling enough plastic waste worldwide—which drastically impacts the supply. The reasons vary from geographically different regulations to the additional cost customers must occasionally incur to recycle. Furthermore, while many understand the importance of recycling, many are also confused on how to properly do it.
With such high demand for recycled materials, brands and packaging integrators must treat the sourcing of these resins as a partnership with their supplier, rather than a transactional exchange. Unlike sourcing virgin material, brands, converters and suppliers must work as a team and make the proper investments to build a viable infrastructure. Sometimes, that means launching community initiatives.
PepsiCo, for example, recognizes the importance of bringing all stakeholders together. To support the development of packaging sustainability, they launched PepsiCo Recycling, an initiative to improve plastics recycling infrastructure and raise awareness on the issue worldwide. With their partnerships through the program, they’ve provided recycling access to 33 million households across 700 communities in the U.S. since , collecting more than 115 million pounds of plastic bottle and recyclables.
These types of partnerships and investments can help you reach your sustainable packaging goals while making a big difference for the environment. Watch Jabil's documentary: The Sustainable Packaging Revolution for a better understanding of how integrators like Jabil, KW Plastics and Danimer Scientific are bringing innovative packaging solutions to the market.
While long-term partnerships and investments into the larger ecosystem will help to ensure a steady supply of post-consumer recycled resins, end-of-life must be addressed at the very beginning with product design. As it stands currently, approximately 30 percent of plastic packaging will never be reused or recycled without fundamental redesign or innovation, according to the World Economic Forum.
The current recycling infrastructure needs an overhaul, but brands can design their packages to optimize recyclability while working within the boundaries of the current infrastructure. This can be accomplished in different ways, such as making components out of a single polymer family, tethering a cap to a bottle or by minimizing how the packaging is assembled so it can be easily separated when necessary.
Post-consumer recycled materials vary in quality, depending on source, sorting, and contamination — real-world PCR isn’t always consistent.
PCR adds color/odor challenges, meaning branding, clarity, and food safety must be carefully managed.
Regulatory compliance is non-negotiable, requiring PCR materials to meet FDA/food-contact standards before use.
Transparent testing and supplier partnerships are essential to harness PCR benefits without compromising performance.
Most of us want to do what is best for the planet. Few people intentionally pour motor oil down city street drains or dump nuclear waste into lakes. Now more than ever, it’s vital that our choices reflect our good intentions for the environment. For those in the food industry, a key decision is using Post-Consumer Recycled materials (PCR) in packaging.
Understanding PCR is essential as we move towards a sustainability-driven market. Using recycled plastic in your packaging sounds great in theory, but the reality is more complicated. As rules tighten and buyers seek eco-friendly choices, you need real facts, not just ads. Making smart decisions about PCR affects your product quality, bottom line, and brand reputation.
This guide will help you understand the real challenges of using recycled content in your packaging. It will equip you with the knowledge to make smarter packaging decisions while also giving Mother Nature a high-five.
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The first major obstacle in PCR adoption lies in sourcing (literally getting the product). PCR materials can vary and have supply issues, while virgin materials have stable properties. The recycling system mainly targets beverage bottles. They are easy to spot as polyethylene terephthalate (PET — we’ll keep using the acronym). Plus, they usually have little contamination.
Food containers are a little trickier to recycle. They often have food residue, staining from spices, sticky labels, or glues attached to the plastic. Some consumers even heat them in microwaves or ovens, which damages the material.
The food packaging industry faces stiff competition for quality PCR material. Big beverage companies have set bold goals to use more recycled content in their products. Some brands aim for 25%, 50%, or even 100% PCR content. These commitments and laws in regions like Europe increase demand. For example, Europe requires 25% recycled content in bottles by .
Meanwhile, North American recovery rates lag significantly behind European ones. European recycling processes can recover around 74% of usable PET from collected materials. In contrast, U.S. systems often only achieve about 33% recovery from the same material. This inefficiency further exacerbates the supply shortage.
For food industry professionals, quality concerns cannot be overlooked. PCR materials generally exhibit reduced clarity and often have a slight color tint — typically a greenish-brown or blue hue. This visual difference becomes more pronounced as PCR content increases.
Put on your science hat for this part: When plastic undergoes mechanical recycling, it’s basically melted down and reformed. This process is like taking a chain necklace, cutting some links, and putting it back together. The chain gets shorter each time. With each recycling cycle, the long molecular chains in plastic shorten, reducing the strength of plastic and useful properties.
This is not the same as chemical recycling. In that process, the necklace is fully dissolved into its links and rebuilt into a brand-new chain. With chemical recycling, the quality stays more consistent because you’re rebuilding from scratch.
Recycled plastic weakens with each cycle, so manufacturers often mix it with virgin plastic. This helps maintain the quality needed for food packaging. However, most food containers can’t be made from 100% recycled plastic. The material simply wouldn’t perform well enough on its own.
Despite quality variations, food safety is rigorously maintained through certified recycling systems. The European Food Standards Association (EFSA) certifies recycling processes in Europe, and the FDA does the same in the U.S. They ensure that contaminated plastics become safe for food use. These certifications require thorough testing, which ensures that contaminants are removed and confirms the processed PCR is food-safe.
Perhaps the most significant barrier to widespread PCR adoption is economic. Contrary to what might be expected, PCR typically costs more than virgin plastic — not less. This premium covers the hard work of collecting, sorting, cleaning, and processing used plastics, turning them into food-grade materials.
As demand rises and supply doesn’t keep up, costs increase even more. Also, using higher PCR percentages can create more waste. This can happen because the material properties become inconsistent, leading to rejected products. These factors create a challenging economic equation for food packaging producers.
This information may have you throwing your hands in the air and yelling through gritted teeth, “Why is it so much more money to do the right thing?!” But don’t give up just yet.
Successful companies using post-consumer recycled materials think about more than just strong packaging. They also weigh what makes financial sense for their business.
This typically involves a carefully calibrated mix of:
The optimal ratio depends on the specific application requirements. Some products need high clarity or strong mechanical properties, so they should limit PCR content, while others can handle higher percentages.
A significant disconnect exists between public perception and technical reality. Consumers often see “plastic” as one big group. They might not see the key differences between PET, polypropylene, polystyrene, and other types. This simplification leads to misconceptions about recycling potential and environmental impact.
Simply put, when many people see plastic packaging, they think, “It’s all just plastic,” like saying all cars are the same regardless of make or model. Many people don’t know that different plastics have unique properties. They also have different recycling methods and environmental effects. It’s like lumping together apples, oranges, and bananas just because they’re all fruit. This confusion makes it tough to discuss which plastics are best for certain uses. It also affects the recycling process in real-life situations.
More people want recycled content, but they often resist lower quality or higher costs, creating a conflict between preferences and expectations. Education remains a critical need, though competing commercial interests from alternative packaging industries often complicate these efforts.
For food industry professionals, post-consumer recycled materials represent a sustainability tool that requires careful implementation. The path forward involves:
When food industry professionals grasp these PCR realities, they can choose wisely. It helps the environment and keeps products safe, high-quality, and profitable. The journey to truly sustainable packaging isn’t about bold promises or unreachable goals. It’s about discovering where environmental gains and business needs can work together. Consider it a balancing act for sustainability. If you lean too far either way, you’ll fall flat. But if you find the middle ground, you can make real progress and keep your business standing tall.
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