Post-consumption recycled paper

Baseline strategy · No score

Specifies a minimum percentage of recycled fiber post-consumption on copying, hygienic, dry matter and printed material.

Subject: Materials and circularityContext: Offices · Companies · EquipmentCost: lowEffort: lowLevel: basicStage: purchaseMaturity: established
Principle of Papel con contenido reciclado posconsumo
Operating principle

How it works

Specifies a minimum percentage of recycled fiber post-consumption on copying, hygienic, dry matter and printed material.

It considers materials and components throughout extraction, manufacture, transport, use, maintenance and recovery to conserve value and reduce impacts.

When does it make sense?

  • Before you specify or purchase materials and products
  • Where functionally comparable alternatives exist
  • With life cycle data and a realistic maintenance and end-of-use plan

How to apply it

  1. 1

    Defining what need resolves "paper with post-consumption recycled content" and establishing a starting situation.

  2. 2

    Compare alternatives and adapt design to climate, use, regulation, affected people and available resources.

  3. 3

    Apply with clear responsibilities, check the actual result and correct unwanted effects.

Potential benefits

Lower carbon life cycle

Less extraction and toxicity

More retained value

Limitations and precautions

  • "Recyclable" is not the same as "recycling": without requiring post-consumption percentage the specification says nothing.
  • An isolated label does not replace the comparison of the entire system.
  • Durability, security, quantity used and end-of-life scenario can change the result.

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