What Recycled Content Claims Actually Mean

You see a product labelled:

MADE WITH RECYCLED MATERIAL

Sounds straightforward.

Except... how much? 10%? 50%? 100%? The entire product? Just the main fabric? And where did that recycled material come from?

Suddenly one very reassuring word has created quite a few questions.

Welcome to the surprisingly complicated world of recycled-content claims. Don't worry. We're going to make it considerably less complicated.

Let's start with "recycled content"

Recycled content generally refers to material that has been recovered or diverted from the waste stream and used again in a product or material. Instead of all of the material coming from virgin raw-material inputs, some or all of it comes from recovered material.

So far, so good. But here's the important part: the word "recycled" doesn't automatically mean 100% recycled.

If only part of a product or material contains recycled content, the percentage and what the claim applies to become important pieces of information.

There's quite a difference between "contains recycled material" and "main fabric contains 70% recycled polyester." The second one actually tells us something measurable.

10%, 50%, 100% — the number matters

Imagine three products. All three can legitimately involve recycled content if those claims are properly supported. But they clearly aren't making the same claim.

That's why simply putting a giant RECYCLED badge next to all three can remove some very useful information. Where a verified percentage is available, showing it can give buyers a much clearer understanding of what they're looking at.

The claim might not apply to the whole product

This is where promotional merchandise gets particularly interesting. Most products aren't made from one single thing.

Take a backpack. It might have a main outer fabric, lining, zips, buckles, webbing, padding, thread and labels.

If the main fabric contains recycled polyester, that doesn't automatically mean every zip, buckle and centimetre of thread does too. The same applies to drink bottles, notebooks, pens, technology products and plenty of other merchandise.

A recycled-content claim might apply to the entire product, a particular material, a specific component, or the packaging. Those aren't interchangeable.

And what is pre-consumer recycled content?

Pre-consumer recycled material comes from material recovered during manufacturing before the finished product reaches a consumer. For example, suitable manufacturing offcuts or production material might be recovered and processed rather than discarded.

Why does everyone keep talking about plastic bottles?

Because they're an easy example. A used PET bottle can potentially enter a recycling stream, be processed into recycled PET — often called rPET — and that material can then be used in another product.

You might find rPET in bags, backpacks, textiles, umbrellas, accessories or selected product components.

Which leads to one of those sustainability phrases that sounds strange until you understand it: "this bag is made using recycled bottles."

Usually, nobody has stitched a collection of drink bottles together and added shoulder straps. The recovered PET has been processed into material suitable for manufacturing something new.

Much less dramatic. Considerably more accurate.

Does recycled content mean recyclable?

No. And this distinction is worth repeating.

Recycled does not automatically mean recyclable.

What does "certified recycled content" add?

This is where standards such as GRS and RCS can become relevant. Certification can provide additional verification around recycled material and its movement through the supply chain.

But — because apparently sustainability refuses to give us one-word answers — different standards have different scopes and requirements. Certification should therefore be understood according to the actual standard and claim associated with the product.

We've covered that properly in another Eco Edit story rather than turning this article into Acronym Soup: Part Two.

So is 100% recycled automatically the best option?

Tempting, isn't it? 20% recycled. 50% recycled. 100% recycled. Surely we just choose the biggest number.

Except product sustainability isn't a game of Top Trumps. Recycled-content percentage tells us something useful about one attribute of the product.

It doesn't automatically tell us how long the product will last, how useful it will be, how it was manufactured, how far it travelled, how easily it can be repaired, what packaging was used, what happens at end of life, or its overall environmental impact.

A higher recycled-content percentage may be relevant to a purchasing decision. It just isn't a universal sustainability score.

Another number worth looking at: the actual quantity

Here's where things become more useful for buyers. If you're ordering 1,000 units of a product, the recycled-content claim isn't just a badge on an individual item. It applies across an entire order.

Understanding what material contains recycled content, what percentage is recycled, and how much of that material is in each product can provide considerably more context than simply seeing a recycled icon.

This is also why good product data matters. Better inputs allow for better conversations.

Be careful with the jump from "recycled" to "sustainable"

Here's a sentence we should probably put on a sticky note.

A material attribute is not the same thing as an overall sustainability verdict.

Recycled content can be an important and useful attribute. But saying "this contains 60% recycled polyester" is very different from saying "this is a sustainable product."

The first is a specific claim that can potentially be verified. The second tries to summarise an enormous range of environmental and social considerations in one word.

Specific wins. Almost every time.

What should I look for when sourcing?

You don't need to interrogate every promotional bottle like it's under investigation. Just look for a few useful pieces of information.

The sentence we'd rather see

Compare "eco-friendly bag" with "main fabric contains 70% certified recycled polyester."

The second statement might sound less exciting. But it's much more useful. It tells the reseller something. It tells the customer something. And — most importantly — it gives us a claim we can actually explain.

Sustainability communication doesn't necessarily need bigger claims. It needs better information.

The takeaway

When you see recycled content, don't stop at the word recycled.

And if some of that information isn't available? That's okay too.

Say what you know. Don't invent what you don't.

Because "contains 50% recycled material" might not sound quite as glamorous as "saving the planet one bottle at a time." But it's considerably more useful. And considerably easier to stand behind.