Netherlands cleaning: PCR PET trigger spray at 30% recycled content
A household cleaning line that wanted recycled content in the bottle. The project turned out to be about documentation as much as about resin.
PCR PET at 30%, 25,000 pieces on the first order
Recycled content is easy to claim and harder to evidence. This programme was scoped around what could actually be documented, not around the highest percentage that could be put on a label.
Material: PET with 30% post-consumer recycled content, for an HDPE-compatible trigger spray line. The bottle body is PET; the trigger assembly is a separate component.
The first order was 25,000 pieces, followed by 80,000 pieces in Q2.
On recycled content we are deliberately precise: what Shijin can issue is a supply-chain record — the recycler and converter declarations behind the claimed percentage. Shijin holds ISO 9001:2015 and does not hold GRS certification. Where a transaction certificate exists for a specific resin lot, it originates in the supply chain and is passed through as a document, not issued by us.
Project record
Structured fields rather than a narrative, so this page can be read the same way by a buyer and by a search engine.
Netherlands cleaning brand — PCR PET trigger spray
What recycled content can and cannot be documented
This is the part of the project that took the most explanation, and it is the part that most buyers get wrong. The five document types below are kept strictly apart on our quality pages for exactly this reason.
| Document | What it proves | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Recycled-content declaration | That a stated percentage of post-consumer material was purchased for this production. | It is not a certification, and it does not by itself licence the use of any recycled-content logo on pack. |
| Supply-chain record | The chain behind the percentage: recycler and converter documentation, passed through to the buyer. | It is a record, not an approval. It travels with the lot it belongs to. |
| Transaction certificate | Where one exists for a specific resin lot, it evidences that lot through the chain of custody. | It is issued by the supply chain, not by us, and it covers only the lot it names. |
| Material declaration | The resin supplier’s own statement for the grade, including food-contact status where applicable. | It is not a finished-part test and not our statement about your bottle. |
| ISO 9001:2015 | That our quality management system is certified by an accredited certification body. | It says nothing about recycled content, and it is not a product approval. |
- ▸We do not describe recycled content as certified when it is documented. Shijin does not hold GRS certification, and a page that implied otherwise would put your own compliance file at risk.
- ▸We do not publish a recycled percentage for a lot without the supply-chain record behind it. If the record is not available for a given resin lot, the honest answer is that the percentage cannot be evidenced for that lot.
- ▸We do not treat a supplier declaration as a test report, or a test report as a certificate. Each is a different document with a different scope.
How the programme ran
Recycled-content projects follow the standard sequence, with two extra decision points that are specific to PCR material.
Products this project drew on
Real Shijin items in the same material and format band. Specifications are the published ones; a trigger spray programme is quoted against your own sprayer, capacity and fill.
SJT0563-500 — 500 ml PET spray bottle
A 500 ml PET bottle with a 20 mm neck, supplied with a matching sprayer, for fine mist, toner and cleaning applications.
Read more →SJT0562-300 — 300 ml PET mist bottle
A 300 ml PET bottle on a 20 mm finish; fine mist and trigger sprayers fit this format for a 300 ml cleaning SKU.
Read more →SJT0528-1000 — 1,000 ml PET bottle
A 1,000 ml PET bottle that takes a pump, disc cap or trigger sprayer — the refill-size end of a cleaning range.
Read more →Material, engineering and further reading
A recycled-content cleaning bottle turns on resin documentation, closure compatibility and shelf consistency. These pages cover each in depth.
Questions this project raises
Is 30% recycled content a low figure?+
It is a deliberate one. Higher percentages are technically possible, but the colour cast and lot-to-lot variation grow with the recycled share, and the documentation burden grows with it. 30% was chosen as the level that could be evidenced and held consistent in production. A percentage you cannot document is not worth having.
Can you issue a recycled-content certificate?+
No. Shijin holds ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and does not hold a recycled-content certification. What we can issue is a supply-chain record: the recycler and converter declarations behind the percentage claimed. Where a transaction certificate exists for a specific resin lot, it comes from the supply chain and is passed through to you as a document.
Will recycled PET look different from virgin PET?+
Usually, yes. PCR PET commonly carries a slight grey or warm cast, and that cast varies more between lots than virgin resin does. The practical answer is to approve the colour with the recycled content already in the resin, so the sample you sign off is a sample production can actually repeat.
Why specify the neck from the sprayer rather than the bottle?+
Because on a trigger sprayer the closure is the part the user actually operates. Output, pattern, trigger effort and leak behaviour are all decided by the sprayer, and the sprayer dictates the finish it needs. Starting from the bottle and looking for a sprayer to fit it backwards is how ranges end up with a compromise nozzle.
Does recycled content change the lead time?+
It can. PCR resin availability moves faster than virgin resin availability, and the documentation step adds time before production rather than during it. On a programme with a fixed retail date, that should be planned in from the first enquiry.
What is the minimum order for a recycled-content bottle?+
The same published rule applies as for standard material: orders start at 5,000 pcs in white, black or natural, or 10,000 pcs for custom colours, with stock-mould trial volumes sometimes possible on request.
How do you check a sprayer actually works on the bottle?+
By testing the assembly rather than the components. Trigger assemblies are fitted, air-pressure leak tested and spray-pattern checked as a unit before packing — a sprayer that passes on a bench can still leak on a bottle with a different finish tolerance.
Can the same bottle be supplied with a pump instead of a trigger?+
Yes, where the finish allows it. Pump, disc cap and trigger sprayer options exist across the cleaning and bath formats; the constraint is the neck finish, so if you need interchangeability across two dispensers, say so before the finish is fixed.
Discuss your packaging project
Send the fill type, the recycled-content target and the volume you expect. Engineering replies within one business day.