Design for Recycled Content Guide

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition has created a guide to assist professionals in understanding the key considerations and best practices for incorporating recycled content in packaging, aiming to drive demand for recycled materials.

The Recycled Material Standard (RMS) is a comprehensive initiative that supports brands and suppliers in promoting sustainability through the use of recycled materials. It offers a robust framework for verifying recycled material claims, ensuring transparency and accuracy. RMS enables participants to showcase their efforts in reducing waste and supporting the circular economy, all while adhering to a rigorous third-party certification process.

At its core, the RMS collaborates with industry leaders, including brands, retailers, and suppliers, to integrate recycled content into their business models. By adopting these practices, companies not only reduce environmental impact but also drive advancements in recycling technologies. The program provides two independent tracking systems, supported by third-party audits, to ensure compliance with its stringent standards. This transparency is further emphasized through a clear labeling system, which informs consumers about the specific use of recycled materials in certified products.

Certification under RMS offers numerous benefits. It levels the playing field by standardizing definitions, rules, and guidelines while building trust among supply chain participants and consumers. Certified entities gain access to educational resources that help them better understand and communicate the benefits of using recycled materials. Additionally, the program highlights the critical role recycled materials play in reducing waste, avoiding emissions, creating jobs, and enabling a functional circular economy.

RMS supports three types of claims regarding recycled materials. These include:

• Average Content: Tracking material percentages across batches, with separate monitoring of post-consumer and post-industrial sources.
• Mass Balance: Accounting for materials at a facility level and balancing inputs and outputs to avoid double counting.
• Attributes of Recycled Content (ARCs): Certificates tied to the environmental benefits of producing one metric ton of recycled plastic, directly funding new recycling technologies.

To enhance consumer confidence, RMS labels provide detailed information on material types, clarify whether claims refer to products or packaging, and direct consumers to a certificate database for further transparency. By adopting RMS standards, businesses can drive impactful change while maintaining credibility in environmental labeling.