Using Recycled Content

Retailers and brand owners are increasingly interested in optimizing the use of recycled content in packaging, since this environmental strategy is well understood by consumers. In response, the SPC launched two "Using Recycled Content Projects" - one for plastics and one for fiber - with the goal of helping converters better communicate to retail buyers what the opportunities and challenges are for using recycled content in specific high-volume product category packaging applications.

Plastics PCR Content Working Group

A working group of more than 30 SPC member companies have developed a practical and pragmatic guidance document that outlines the opportunity to use post-consumer recycled content in high-volume plastic packaging based on current industry average and best practice examples. The document explains any constraining specifications, such as FDA regulation or performance requirements, identifies limiting factors such as the insufficient availability of many recycled plastic materials and discusses how some of the challenges might be overcome. The SPC will release the guidelines at it Fall Meeting in Phoenix, September 13 - 14, 2010. The information contined in the guidelines should benefit both users and producers by helping retail buyers become better informed and more proficient at specifying recycled content and minimizing converters' R&D costs to conduct (or duplicate) independent research into the appropriate parameters for the use of recycled content in specific packaging applications. The document is free to members.

Fiber Recycled Content Working Group

Another working group of 30 companies has been formed to develop practical guidance for the appropriate use of recycled content in fiber packaging.  This project has similar objectives to the plastics recycled content project - educating retail buyers about the opportunities, challenges and trade-offs involved with recycled content use in fiber packaging and facilitating more and better communications between retail buyers, CPGs and converters. The working group will look at using recycled (post industrial, pre-consumer and psot consumer) content in packaging by fiber type (bleached, unbleached, coated, corrugated, etc.) and packaging format (box, bag, spiral-would can, etc.) including a mapping of the most appropriate use(s) to specific product applications (cereal boxes, confectionary pouches, frozen juice concentrate cans, etc.).