When batches of the same product contain different recycled shares, the reported minimum matters. Link product codes, recipe versions, input origin and actual consumption to each batch, and ensure sales claims match the substantiated value.
What if the same product does not always contain exactly the same amount of recycled material?
Variation is possible, but it must be measurable and reflected in how the result is declared. RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability Certification reports the minimum percentage where recycled content varies between batches. The system should therefore establish the result for each relevant batch or other controlled production unit, and the claim cannot rely solely on an average.
1. Why recycled content may change
In practice, the level of Recycled Input may depend on the product, customer, raw-material availability, quality parameters, recipe version, colour, mechanical properties or the requirements of a particular order.
Variation itself is not the problem. The difficulty arises when there is no system to identify the value applicable to a particular batch or product group.
2. The minimum percentage protects claim credibility
If batches of the same product contain 55%, 52%, 49% and 51% recycled content, a 50% claim is not true for every batch. The Audit Scheme specifies that the certification body reports the minimum percentage where batches vary.
In this example, the substantiated common minimum is 49%. The arithmetic mean of 51.75% does not replace it; that mean would also represent the quantity-weighted result only if the batches had equal mass.
3. Weighted averages and minima answer different questions
A weighted average may describe overall recycled-material use at a facility or over a period. It does not show the content of every individual batch.
The minimum indicates the level that can be substantiated for all batches within a scope where this type of claim is used.
4. First define the unit being assessed
This may be a specific product, component or family of products. RecyClass permits assessment of products and families, but each assessed unit must have a defined actual recycled material share.
Products that do not form a coherent technological or material group should not be combined in one declaration simply to achieve a more favourable result.
5. Product codes and recipe versions should lead to the correct value
If one product code is made with several recycled content variants, the company needs a way to distinguish them. This may be a batch number, recipe variant, production order reference or another controlled field.
The auditor must be able to trace the product sold to a customer back to records of its actual composition.
6. A supplier change may affect the claim as well as quality
Materials sold under the same commercial name may have different PCR and PreCR shares or certification status. Using them interchangeably in a recipe may change the product result.
Purchasing and quality teams should therefore check supplier certificates and the recycled content of Recycled Input alongside technical specifications.
7. Occasional and on-demand production need reliable records
Some companies make a recycled-content product only a few times each year. Intermittent production still needs evidence of recipe, consumption and result for the specific campaign.
RPT provides a specific approach to on-demand production, while verification continues to rely on plausibility checks and consumption data.
8. A product family cannot conceal extreme variants
Joint certification of similar product codes does not permit unrestricted averaging of recycled content. The RecyClass family definition requires similar formulations, the same technology and line, similar applications and materials with the same waste origin.
If one product contains 80% PCR and another 20%, assess carefully whether they form an appropriate family and which result can actually be assigned to the group.
9. Building a practical variable-content register
Useful fields include product code, batch number, date, recipe version, mass of Recycled Input, its PCR/PreCR share, mass of other ingredients, output mass and calculated result.
Additional fields can identify whether the batch falls within the certification scope and which claim may be used in sales documents.
10. Claims should follow the data
If marketing wants to communicate a minimum recycled content of 50%, production needs controls preventing batches below 50% from being released under that claim.
This may require recipe controls, system alerts, approval of changes or separate product codes and claims for different variants.
FAQ
Can a product with variable recycled content still be certified?
Yes, if the system reliably establishes actual values and follows the scheme's reporting rules.
Does RecyClass use an average when batches vary?
RPT specifies reporting the minimum percentage when recycled content varies between batches.
Can one product code have two claims?
This requires precise batch identification and communication. In practice, clearly separating the variants is often more reliable.
Does a product family solve the variation problem?
No. It organises the scope but does not remove the obligation to substantiate actual recycled content.
Must a customer be informed if content falls from 50% to 45%?
If the customer receives a claim or specification stating 50%, any reduction below that value must be properly controlled and must not be concealed.