Choosing post-consumer recycled packaging, or PCR packaging, is an efficient and effective way to protect both your products and the environment. Packaging manufacturers create new packing material from previously used plastics like high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to offer businesses a more sustainable option for storing or shipping their goods.
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By reducing the demand for virgin materials, PCR recycling reduces landfill waste and better protects the environment from carbon emissions. Read on to learn more about how PCR packaging conserves natural resources and simultaneously brings your company closer to achieving a circular economy through more socially and environmentally responsible practices.
Everything from waste sorting and recycling centers to residential recycling bins serves as a resource for PCR materials. The mass recycling of PET, HDPE, and other post-consumer plastics has made PCR packaging a more affordable and attainable solution for manufacturers requiring packing materials. Common PCR options include:
By sending pre-used plastics to factories instead of landfills as part of smarter waste management, recycling enhances sustainability and keeps a significant amount of plastic out of the environment.
PCR packaging offers numerous benefits, the most important of which include:
PCR packaging offers businesses a more eco-conscious alternative to conventional packaging materials. Founded in , Alpha Packaging, Inc. strives to be your one-stop shop for sustainable, customized packaging systems. Our 200,000-square-foot facility in Greenwood, Arkansas, is equipped with advanced packaging machinery that enables us to produce virtually any type of box or container for your storage or shipping needs.
We understand how the quality of your packaging ultimately contributes to positive customer engagement with your brand. From corrugated boxes to 3M® packaging tapes, our family-owned company specializes in tailored packaging solutions to address the challenges you face in your market. Our diverse client base covers sectors ranging from automotive and heavy equipment to retail and food/beverage.
PCR, short for post-consumer resin (post-consumer recycled), is an environment-friendly packaging option that is made from recycled plastics, most commonly PET and HDPE plastic products. Instead of being sent to a local landfill, used items such as bottles, milk jugs, buckets, and industrial products like IBC totes and polydrums can be broken down, melted and reconstructed to make a resin material that’s then added to create a new product—PCR packaging.
PCR packaging is used to propel a continuous cycle of creating various "new" products with used recycled plastics. In addition, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), post-consumer recycled production reduces the reliance of fossil fuels as well as raw materials for its formulation in comparison to virgin resin products.
The recycled resin reduces the amount of waste that is landfilled and reduces the use of fossil fuels which, in turn, improves the environmental impact of plastic packaging. PCR packaging appeals to eco-conscious consumers, and, studies suggest that people, particularly generations Gen Z and millennials, are committed to having a positive impact on the environment, indicating PCR plastics are the way of the future.
PCR allows manufacturers to produce high-quality products like a virgin resin product would at competitive prices while reducing their environmental impact. The grade of PCR plastics is equally matched with regular plastic film in terms of protection, performance, and strength. Post-consumer resin blocks light, oxygen, and other gases from seeping into the package.
PCR packaging can be suitable for food-contact use if it meets the FDA Guidelines.
These plastics decrease carbon footprints (the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by our actions).
The required reheating process in creating PCR plastics can alter the color and clarity of the product depending on the amount of resin that is added. This process does not hinder the function or durability of the bottle. Manufacturers can shy away from using post-consumer resin because the dark properties of the bottle do not fit the aesthetic they want to portray for their packaging.
Benefits of PCR plastic are dependent on the consumer recycling their products.
Price of manufacturing is contingent on the amount of plastics recycled.
After consumers recycle their products, recycling plants sort the bottles according to their plastic type. Because PET and HDPE plastics are most commonly used to manufacture PCR products, these plastics are collected, washed and broken down into resin pellets. The resulting pellets are then reheated, molded and formed into a new product.
PCR can be added in percentages ranging from 10% to 100% along with virgin plastic depending on the manufacturer's preference.
If post-consumer resin is used to manufacture a plastic bottle, a higher percentage can impact transparency and color. Some companies choose to incorporate less PCR in their products and more virgin resin so the material can retain the look of virgin resin. For example, if a product is composed of 25 percent PCR and 75 percent virgin resin material, then the product will look more like a virgin bottle. Additionally, many PCR plastic bottles are typically intended for products that do not require transparent packaging.
Virgin resin is the term for new and unused plastic resin without any recycled products to generate an original product. Due to its clean appearance and stable nature, virgin resin is heavily used to produce a wide variety of plastic products.
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PIR, or post-industrial resin, is reworked plastic produced in the manufacturing process. PIR consists of grinded resins that were collected either from extra scrap parts during the molding stage of production or finished products that did not pass the quality control standards of the original product. Despite never being used before, the material is not considered virgin because it has been put through a second reheating process.
PIR products have not reached the consumer whereas PCR products include used material that's already reached the consumer and returned.
While PIR is reprocessed resin, PCR is made of used and recycled resin. Like PCR packaging, PIR also helps decrease the amount of plastic sent to landfills as well as reduce the demand for raw materials.
The term biodegradable is defined as the length of time it takes for plastic to fully break down and degrade by the consumption of living microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria. While PCR is a more environmentally friendly option (in comparison to virgin resin) since it's made from recycled plastic, according to The Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides, the plastic itself is not biodegradable unless it is decomposed within a year of being disposed of in landfills, incinerators and recycling plants.
If you wish to explore other eco-friendly packaging alternatives from PCR packaging to glass containers, our packaging experts can assist with finding the best product to meet your requirements. Contact us today to discuss your packaging needs!
Many of the world’s leading brands have announced commitments to incorporate more post-consumer resin (PCR) in their packaging within the next 5-10 years. This sentiment is echoed by companies in a variety of industries around the world. Post-consumer resin is one solution to curbing the growing plastic pollution problem and decreasing the depletion of natural resources.
To meet the rising demand for post-consumer resin, the return and recycling of specific types of used, empty plastic packaging by consumers is key. One of the ways Mauser Packaging Solutions addresses the increased need for post-consumer resin and supports the transformation from a linear to a circular packaging industry is through our integrated life cycle management program, which includes collection, reconditioning, recycling and manufacturing of products from PCR materials.
So, what is post-consumer resin, how is it made, and what are the benefits?
What is Post-Consumer Resin (PCR)?
According to the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) “Plastics Vocabulary” list, post-consumer or post-use material, is defined as “material generated by the end-users of products, that has fulfilled its intended purpose or can no longer be used (including material returned from within the distribution chain).” This differs from post-industrial, or pre-consumer material which is defined as “material diverted during a manufacturing process”.
Post-consumer resin (PCR) includes consumer packaging items such as plastic film, bottles, milk jugs, buckets, and also industrial packaging items such as IBC totes and poly drums. These items can be reprocessed into recycled plastic that’s used to make new products.
How is PCR manufactured at Mauser Packaging Solutions?
When an IBC or plastic drum reaches the end of its usable life and is no longer suitable for reconditioning, the first step in the recycling process is collection through the Mauser Packaging Solutions collection program. Empty containers and used plastic components are then sorted, shredded, ground, washed, dried and repelletized as high-quality post-consumer resin in compliance to ISO : standards. We call this in-house generated PCR “RecoleneTM.”
RecoleneTM, our premium recycled resin, is used to manufacture our own components and packaging, such as the Infinity Series of products. It offers the same benefits of reusability and recyclability as virgin resin and comparable technical performance. In alone, Mauser Packaging Solutions generated more than 51,000 metric tons of post-consumer resin from empty IBCs and plastic drums returned through our collection program.
What are the benefits using PCR?
Post-consumer resin offers a lower carbon footprint compared to virgin materials. Use of PCR diverts waste from landfills, decreases the consumption of virgin raw materials, and reduces emissions while promoting the circular economy.
How can your company contribute?
With such high demand for recycled materials, collaboration among the supply chain with the packaging manufacturer, filler and end user is extremely important to establish a true circular economy.
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