In discussions about plastics recycling, the terms post-industrial recyclate (PIR) and post-consumer recyclate (PCR) are often used, but have not yet been defined. The IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen explains the differences.
It often remains unclear what exactly is meant by the two terms post-industrial recyclate (PIR) and post-consumer recyclate (PCR), according to the IK. To date, there is only one definition of pre-consumer material (synonym: post-industrial material) and post-consumer material (ISO 14021).
According to ISO 15270, recyclate is defined as Plastic material from the recycling of plastic waste defined. According to Section 3 (25) of the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act (KrWG), recycling is „any recovery process by which waste is reprocessed into products, materials or substances either for the original purpose or for other purposes; it includes the reprocessing of organic materials, but not energy recovery and processing into materials intended for use as fuel or for backfilling“.
Recyclates can therefore generally be only in one preparation process from waste. This applies equally to PIR and PCR.
Recyclate definition: what's the difference?
The respective prefix of the recyclate provides an indication of the original origin of the material that was generated as waste and processed into recyclate: Does the waste originate from from production residues in the manufacture of plastic packaging or other plastic products that have not been reused in the same process, the recyclates from these are referred to as post-industrial recyclates (PIR) or, synonymously, pre-consumer recyclates. As a corresponding abbreviation of pre-consumer recyclates can lead to confusion with the Post-consumer recyclates (PCR), it is preferable to use the term post-industrial recyclate with the abbreviation PIR.
If, on the other hand, the material is Waste from households, industry or commerce (in their role as end consumers), the resulting recyclates must be labelled as post-consumer recyclates (PCR).
If the production residues that are reused in the same process in which they were created are classified as a by-product and not as waste, they are Circulation material and must not be labelled as recyclate.
Source: IK Industrial Association for Plastic Packaging
