Recycled vs Recyclable: What's The Difference and Why Do They Matter?

Source: EcoEnclose

“Recycled” refers to what the packaging is made from.

When packaging is labeled as “recycled,” it means that some or all of the material used to make it comes from recycled content. Recycled content refers to materials diverted from the waste stream and used to create new products.

There are two main types of recycled content.

The first type of recycled content is pre-consumer or industrial waste. This recycled content comes from waste collected during the manufacturing process before products ever reach consumers. Pre-consumer waste may be used by the same company that collects it or sold to other companies.

For Example: A paper brand might collect scraps or cuttings generated in their production line and use them as recycled content in another of their paper products.

The second type of recycled content is post-consumer waste, commonly known as PCR or PCW. This recycled content comes from waste discarded by consumers. This happens when consumers send materials to curbside or collection-based recycling programs. This material is collected, sorted, processed, sold, and used to create new products.

For Example: Paper collected from a household through a curbside recycling program may be sent for processing and repulping, then sold to a packaging company to make recycled cardboard corrugate.

At EcoEnclose, we emphasize post-consumer waste over pre-consumer industrial scrap because it supports the success of community recycling programs and keeps usable materials out of the landfill and in circulation.

In contrast to recycled content, virgin materials are extracted directly from nature—trees, petroleum, minerals—and refined into packaging. This extraction has steep environmental costs, from habitat destruction and water usage to greenhouse gas emissions.

Choosing recycled content over virgin materials is critical and supports circularity in two key ways:

1. Recycled content drives the infrastructure needed for recycling. When companies purchase recycled content, they signal demand to brokers and recycling facilities. This incentivizes stronger programs, expanded availability, and investments into greater recycling capabilities.

2. Recycled content significantly reduces the resource use and carbon footprint of packaging. Recycled content conserves natural resources such as trees and fossil fuels by reducing the need for raw inputs. Producing recycled materials also creates fewer carbon emissions, helping brands to reduce their footprint.

Maximizing the use of recycled content across all materials helps brands increase their individual circularity and support a more circular packaging industry for everyone.

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“Recyclable” refers to packaging’s end-of-life options—what it can be made into after use.

Recyclability refers to whether a material can be collected, sorted, and remanufactured into new products after its initial use.

This process typically involves five steps: collection, sorting, brokering/selling, remanufacturing, and re-entry into the market. When done effectively, recycling keeps valuable resources in circulation and prevents them from becoming landfill waste.

However, not all recyclables are created equal. Just because a product is technically recyclable doesn’t mean it will actually be recycled. Several factors affect whether recyclability is realized in practice:

• Material type: Some materials (like PET and PE) are more widely accepted and recyclable than others (like PS, PVC, and composite plastics).

• Packaging design: Mono-material packaging is typically easier to recycle than multi-layer or composite materials. Labels, adhesives, inks, and coatings can also complicate recycling.

• Infrastructure: A material’s recyclability depends heavily on local collection and processing capabilities. What’s recycled in one community may be landfilled in another.

• Market demand: Even if a material can be processed, it won’t be recycled unless there's a buyer for the recycled output.

Additionally, access to recycling programs varies. Curbside recycling, which reaches over 60% of US households, is the most accessible pathway. Materials that require drop-off or take-back programs, such as plastic film, are less likely to be recycled simply due to the added inconvenience for consumers.

We encourage brands to strive to make their packaging “readily recyclable.” This helps maximize the actual recycling rates for packaging materials, helping promote circularity and give these valuable resources another useful life.

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The confusion between these two terms is understandable.

Both refer to waste and circularity in some way and are framed around a material’s environmental impact.

Additionally, marketing often emphasizes end-of-life features, like recyclability or compostability, over the origin of the material. As a result, consumers and brands may conflate what packaging is made from (recycled) with what happens to it afterward (recyclable).

Greenwashing can compound the confusion. Packaging labeled “eco-friendly” or “recyclable” may still be made from virgin fossil fuels. In other cases, it might be technically recyclable in theory but not in practice. This is why clear definitions and transparency are key.

To illustrate how this can become confusing, here are some examples of how different packaging types rank in terms of recycled vs recyclable.

Source: Unsplash

A genuinely sustainable packaging strategy must consider both recycled content and recyclability. These two concepts are interdependent:

• Recyclability creates the feedstock: When packaging is truly recyclable, it can re-enter the material stream, providing raw materials for future products.

• Recycled content creates the demand: When brands choose recycled content, they create a market for those raw materials, making the recycling system more economically viable.

Choosing recycled content and recyclability helps move us away from the current linear “take-make-dispose” model and toward a loop where resources are used for as long as possible.

Source: EcoEnclose

A key aspect of creating more circular packaging is ensuring that customers can easily understand what packaging is made from and how to dispose of it after use responsibly. When labeling is misleading or confusing, it leads to mismatched buying decisions, recycling contamination, and more waste in the landfill.

The chasing arrows symbol is one of the most recognized icons in sustainability, but also one of the most misunderstood. Originally intended to represent recyclability, it has since been applied inconsistently:

• When used without a border, it’s typically meant to indicate that a product is recyclable.

• When shown inside a border or square, it often implies recycled content.

However, this system has caused significant confusion, especially with resin identification codes (1–7) printed inside the symbol on plastics. These codes indicate resin type, not recyclability, and many plastics labeled with the chasing arrows are not actually recycled in practice.

That’s why more rigorous standards and certifications are essential. California’s SB343 (Truth in Labeling for Recyclable Materials) reflects this shift, requiring that recyclability claims align with real collection and processing capabilities, not just technical potential.

At EcoEnclose, we hold third-party certifications such as FSC® and RCS because packaging sustainability claims should be transparent, verifiable, and rooted in real infrastructure. You can promote transparency in your labeling by using the following standards as a guide.

Source: EcoEnclose

Source: EcoEnclose