Materials · PCR PET

PCR PET Packaging: Recycled Content, Evidence and Design Limits

Post-consumer recycled PET, normally quoted between 30% and 100% content. The two things that decide whether it fits your pack are the colour cast it brings and the document that proves the content.

Quick answer

What PCR PET is, and when it fits

PCR PET is PET made with post-consumer recycled feedstock. Recycled content is normally quoted in the range 30–100%, with 50% the most common commercial compromise. The recycled polymer behaves like PET in processing, but it carries a grey or green cast, higher haze and a small odour risk.

That is the whole decision in one sentence: PCR PET suits opaque or heavily tinted bottles well, and suits crystal-clear ones poorly. Where the brief needs the clarity of virgin PET, PCR content is the wrong lever. Our cosmetic-contact bottles are run on food-grade prime virgin resin as standard; PCR is quoted when a brand commits to a recycled-content target and accepts the optical shift.

30–100%

Typical PCR content

50%

Common commercial level

Grey / green

Colour cast

Higher

Haze vs virgin PET

Documented

Per lot, on request

Same route

ISBM as virgin PET

Material properties

How recycled content changes the pack

Recycled PET goes through additional heat histories on its way back into resin, so the grade is specified as a PCR-modified bottle grade with its own intrinsic viscosity window and its own optical profile.

Property	Virgin PET	PCR PET	What it means in practice
Intrinsic viscosity	0.70 – 0.85 dl/g	0.70 – 0.80 dl/g (PCR-modified bottle grade)	Reported per lot on the COA, as with virgin resin
Colour	Neutral, colourless	Grey or green cast	Suits opaque and heavily tinted bottles rather than clear ones
Haze	Low	Higher	The reason a clear pack is the hardest application for PCR
Odour	Neutral	Small risk	Worth testing against your own sensory standard before committing
Processing route	Injection stretch blow molding	The same ISBM route	No change to the mold or the tooling philosophy

Compatibility testing is where recycled content is either confirmed or ruled out. Send the pack and the target content level and we will run it, rather than assuming the optical result from a data sheet.

Applications

Typical PCR PET applications

PCR PET is specified where a recycled-content commitment exists and the appearance of the pack can absorb the colour cast — which in practice means tinted, opaque or opaque-coated formats.

▸Trigger spray and cleaning bottles — the classic PCR PET application, and the format in our published Netherlands programme.
▸Opaque and heavily tinted cosmetic bottles — where the cast is hidden by the masterbatch.
▸Body-care and home-care bottles — larger formats where appearance is functional rather than premium.
▸Sanitiser and hygiene packs — high-volume formats where the content target and the volume work together.
▸Non-clear jars and wide-mouth containers — where thick sections already reduce clarity.

Where PCR PET is the wrong specification

A crystal-clear serum or essence bottle. The colour cast and the haze are visible in exactly the application where clarity is the selling point.

A premium pack whose whole proposition is glass-like appearance. If the brand promise is optical, PCR content undermines it — use PETG or virgin PET instead.

A pack with no recycled-content commitment behind it. PCR adds specification and documentation work; it is not worth carrying without a reason.

Manufacturing

How PCR PET is run and evidenced

PCR PET runs on the same two-stage injection stretch blow molding route as virgin PET, so the tooling, neck finishes and closure matching are unchanged. What changes is the incoming resin control and the paperwork that travels with the finished goods.

Resin and documentation controls

▸Incoming resin and COA. PCR-modified bottle grade is received with its intrinsic viscosity, density and ash content reported per lot, exactly as virgin resin is.
▸Content level stated on the order. The recycled content percentage is a line on the specification, not a marketing claim — it has to be reproducible across reorders.
▸Two-way traceability. Resin lot → work order → finished-goods lot, recorded in both directions so the content claim can be walked back to the lot.
▸Colour and haze approval on a physical sample. The optical result of PCR is approved on a sample against your reference, not assumed from the resin data sheet.

For food-contact and cosmetic work we test to EU 10/2011 (overall migration limit 10 mg/dm², plus specific migration limits and a NIAS risk assessment) and frame cosmetics against EC 1223/2009. Decoration uses low-migration UV-cured inks aligned with the Swiss Ordinance SR 817.023.21 and the Nestlé packaging ink guidance, with surface energy verified before printing and adhesion checked by ASTM D3359 cross-hatch at 4B–5B.

The document that matters for recycled content

For recycled content, the evidence is a GRS Transaction Certificate naming your product and lot. An annual GRS scope certificate only proves the factory was audited; it says nothing about whether the goods you received contain recycled material. When a supplier offers a scope certificate as proof of content, that is the wrong document.

Advantages & limitations

Advantages of PCR PET, and the limits that go with them

Advantages

▸A documented recycled-content specification, quoted per order
▸Runs on the same ISBM route and tooling as virgin PET
▸Supports brand recycled-content and circularity commitments with evidence
▸The optical trade-off is manageable in tinted and opaque packs
▸Same processing behaviour and closure matching as virgin PET

Limitations

▸Grey or green colour cast that no masterbatch fully hides in a clear pack
▸Higher haze than virgin PET at the same wall thickness
▸A small odour risk that should be tested against your sensory standard
▸Not suitable for crystal-clear, clarity-led briefs
▸Documentation is per lot, so it has to be requested for each order

Recycling

PCR PET and the recycling loop

PET is the most widely collected packaging polymer, which is why rPET is the recycled feedstock most brands start with. PCR PET is the point at which that collection loop re-enters a new pack.

▸Content level is a choice, not a fixed number. 30–100% is the practical range, with 50% the most common commercial compromise between claim strength and optical result.
▸Design for the loop. A pack that is easy to collect and reprocess — clear or light-coloured, with a closure that separates — is worth more in the loop than one that is difficult to sort.
▸Ask for the transaction certificate. A GRS Transaction Certificate naming your product and lot is the document that evidences content; a scope certificate does not.

Compare

PCR PET against PCR HDPE and virgin PET

Property	PCR PET	PCR HDPE	Virgin PET
Recycled feedstock	Post-consumer PET	Post-consumer HDPE	None
Typical content	30–100%, 50% common	Quoted per order	—
Clarity	Low to medium, grey or green cast	Opaque	High, glass-like
Best-fit packs	Tinted and opaque bottles, trigger sprays	Cleaning, detergent, industrial	Clear cosmetic and skincare bottles
Consider when	A recycled-content target exists and the pack can absorb the cast	The pack was never clear and the fill is aggressive	Clarity is the selling point

Stock molds

Suitable recycled-content products

PCR content is specified on top of an existing mold rather than through a separate mold library, so the formats below are the ones that carry it well. Tell us the target content level and we will confirm the optical result on a sample.

Browse by family

PCR & rPET sourcing guide →PET bottle range →Cleaning bottles →PET spray bottles →Sanitiser bottles →Jars →Full product library →

Evidence

Where PCR PET programmes have shipped

Published customer programmes built on this material. Regional customer names are withheld; material, format, order data and outcomes are as delivered.

Netherlands · cleaning

PCR PET trigger spray

▸30% post-consumer recycled PET content
▸25,000 pcs initial order, 80,000 pcs follow-on in Q2
▸Recycled-content supply-chain documentation issued per order

Germany · personal care

HDPE body wash bottle

▸The opaque counterpart: cleaner in PCR terms, but a different polymer
▸4 reorders, 140,000+ units since 2024
▸Zero defect claims to date

See the full programme write-ups on the customer projects page.

FAQ

PCR PET: buyer questions

What does PCR PET mean?+

PET made with post-consumer recycled feedstock. Recycled content is normally quoted between 30% and 100%, with 50% the most common commercial compromise between claim strength and optical result.

Does PCR PET look different from virgin PET?+

Yes. PCR content carries a grey or green cast, higher haze and a small odour risk, so it suits opaque or heavily tinted bottles far better than crystal-clear ones. We approve the optical result on a physical sample rather than assuming it from a data sheet.

How do I prove the recycled content in my order?+

Ask for a GRS Transaction Certificate naming your product and lot. An annual GRS scope certificate only proves the factory was audited — it does not evidence the content of the goods you received.

Can PCR PET be used for cosmetic packaging?+

It can be specified, but our cosmetic-contact bottles are run on food-grade prime virgin resin as standard. PCR is quoted when a brand has a recycled-content target and accepts the colour shift. Tell us the application and we will confirm what is appropriate.

Does PCR content change the tooling?+

No. PCR PET runs on the same two-stage injection stretch blow molding route as virgin PET, so the mold, neck finish and closure matching are unchanged. What changes is incoming resin control and the documents issued with the order.

What is the minimum order for PCR PET?+

5,000 pcs per SKU on stock tooling, in line with our other materials. Sampling from an existing mold typically runs 3–10 days.

Is PCR PET recyclable again?+

Yes — and that is the point of specifying it. PET is the most widely collected packaging polymer, and a pack that is easy to sort, with a closure that separates, is worth more in the loop than one that is difficult to process.

Which packs should not use PCR PET?+

Crystal-clear serum and essence bottles, and any premium pack whose proposition is glass-like appearance. If the brand promise is optical, PCR content works against it — specify virgin PET or PETG instead.

Tell us the content target and the pack

Send the recycled content level you have committed to, the capacity and whether the pack has to be clear. We will confirm whether PCR PET fits and sample the optical result before you commit.

Talk to Engineering Request a Quote

Part of Plastic Packaging Materials: PET, HDPE, PE, PETG, PP and PCR | Shijin

Keep reading

Material, engineering and buying pages that this one sits next to.

HDPE Plastic Packaging: Properties, Uses and Manufacturing | Shijin PCR HDPE Packaging: Recycled HDPE for Cleaning | Shijin PE Plastic Packaging: LDPE, MDPE and HDPE Explained | Shijin PET Plastic Packaging: Properties, Grades and Manufacturing | Shijin PETG Plastic Packaging: Thick-Wall Clarity and Its Limits | Shijin PP Plastic Packaging: Heat Resistance, Closures and Jars | Shijin PET vs HDPE vs PETG vs PP: Choosing a Packaging Material | Shijin

Products behind this page

Real items from the Shijin stock-mold library. Shown specifications are the published ones; a quotation is built from your own drawing and fill volume.

PET | 250 ml | SJT0464-250