The Federal Trade Commission defines recycled content materials as those that have been recovered or diverted from the solid waste stream. Recycled content can be broken into two categories. Post-consumer and pre-consumer, (which may also be referred to as post-industrial). Post-consumer content, as its name implies, are materials that have been used by consumers. Examples are clear plastic water and soda bottles made from P.E.T. that carry the #1 recycle symbol. Post-industrial is scrap that is generated during the normal manufacturing process that is recycled back into its raw material state and used again.
At Genpak, we began producing our clear Hinged Deli products using post-consumer recycled (PCR) content back in early 2007. Since then we have expanded that program to include all of our clear APET products including our foodservice lids, Supermarket Containers and clear bakery packaging.
The EPA states “There’s more to recycling than setting out your recyclables at the curb. In order to make recycling economically feasible, we must buy recycled products and packaging. When we buy recycled products, we create an economic incentive for recyclable materials to be collected, manufactured and marketed as new products. Buying recycled products has both economic and environmental benefits. Purchasing products made from or packaged in recycled materials saves resources for future generations.”
For our part, we have used nearly 100 million pounds of post-consumer resin for our APET products. To put that into perspective, it is the equivalent of diverting nearly 2 billion water bottles from landfills! Breaking it down even further to a customer level, you can say that for every 200 cases of our very popular AD16 purchased, you have helped divert 17,600 bottles that were destined for a landfill. Not only are our Deli containers made with 30% post-consumer recycled content, but they are also still #1 recyclable! It’s a win-win.
For more information or to request samples just drop us a line and we’ll get you everything you need to know.