Recycled Content: Measuring and Declaring in DPPs

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What Is Recycled Content?

Recycled content refers to the proportion of a product's materials that have been recovered from waste streams and reprocessed into new materials. Under the ESPR, many product categories will require mandatory recycled content declarations in their Digital Product Passports, and some will have minimum recycled content thresholds.

Recycled content is a key indicator of circular economy performance, demonstrating that a product contributes to reducing virgin material extraction and waste generation.

Types of Recycled Content

Recycled content is classified by its source:

• Pre-consumer (post-industrial): material diverted from the waste stream during manufacturing
• Post-consumer: material generated by end users and recovered through collection and recycling systems
• The ESPR generally focuses on post-consumer recycled content, as this represents the most impactful form of circularity

The distinction matters because post-consumer recycled content represents genuine waste diversion, while pre-consumer recycled content may simply be manufacturing efficiency.

Measurement and Calculation

Recycled content is typically expressed as a percentage of total material weight. The calculation requires accurate data on the mass of recycled material input and the total mass of all material inputs to the product.

For complex products with multiple materials, recycled content may need to be declared per material type (e.g., 30% recycled plastic, 80% recycled aluminium) rather than as a single aggregate figure. Chain of custody documentation from material suppliers is essential for verifying recycled content claims.

Declaring Recycled Content in DPPs

When declaring recycled content in your DPP, specify the methodology used, whether the figure represents pre-consumer or post-consumer content, and provide it per material type as required by the applicable delegated act.

MyProductPassport provides structured fields for recycled content declarations, supporting both aggregate and per-material reporting aligned with ESPR requirements.