PCR stretch film
PCR stretch film contains post-consumer recycled plastic: material that was used, collected and reprocessed, not just factory scrap. The percentage on the data sheet is how much of the film's weight is that recycled material.
Post-consumer and post-industrial
Post-consumer recycled (PCR) material has been used for its purpose, thrown away and collected: used pallet film from warehouses, for example. Post-industrial material is trim and scrap from a factory that never left it. Both are recycled content, but buyers who report on recycled content are usually asked for the post-consumer share, so ask which one a percentage means.
What the percentage tells you
A film sold as 30 percent PCR has about 30 percent of its weight from post-consumer material, the rest from new resin. Higher percentages put more used plastic back to work; they can also change how the film behaves, because recycled material varies more than new resin. Plastic recycling overall is low, with EPA's 2018 figures at 8.7 percent of plastics generated,1 so every film that uses recycled content is drawing on a small supply.
What to ask before switching
- Which share is post-consumer, and how is it verified?
- What are the stretch, puncture and cling figures against the film you use now?
- Is it cast or blown, and at what gauge?
- Does it look different? Recycled content can add haze or a slight tint.
Where the recycled material comes from
Much of the post-consumer polyethylene that goes back into film is itself used film: pallet wrap and bags collected from warehouses, stores and distribution centres, then sorted, washed, melted and pelletised. That is why clean collection at receiving docks matters to the people making PCR film. Contamination in the feedstock turns up as specks, gels or weak spots in the new film, so recyclers and film makers both pay attention to what goes into a bale.
Claims, rules and paperwork
Some buyers want recycled content because a customer asks for it; others because a state or country has rules or fees tied to plastic packaging. The requirements differ by place and change often, so we don't summarise them here. What helps in every case is documentation: a statement from the film maker giving the post-consumer share, how it is measured, and whether it has been checked by a third party. Ask for it with the quote, and keep it with your packaging records.
Where it fits first
Light, square, short-haul loads are the easiest place to start, because they ask least of the film. Heavy, sharp or export loads are the last place to experiment.
Prove it on your loads
Run a PCR film on a set of loads and measure containment force at the top, middle and bottom, as you would for any change of film.2 If it holds as well as the film it replaces, you have recycled content at no cost to the load. If it needs more turns, weigh that film against the recycled share you gain. See recycling used film for the other half of the loop.
Pre-consumer, post-industrial and regrind
Data sheets use several terms that sound alike. Pre-consumer or post-industrial content is scrap from making film or other products, collected before it ever reached a customer. Regrind usually means a plant's own edge trim and start-up waste fed back into its extruders, a routine practice that has nothing to do with consumers. Post-consumer content is the only kind that took material out of the waste stream after use. A label claiming "recycled content" without saying which is not enough for most reporting; ask for a breakdown.
Starting a trial
Order a small quantity alongside your regular film, wrap one product line or one shift with it for a fortnight, and record breaks, turns and containment readings for both films. Ask the receiving dock to note any difference. Clear evidence from your own loads is what convinces a plant manager, and it protects you from switching to a film that looks good on paper and fails on the pallet.
Tinted and black PCR film
Because recycled material carries colour from its past lives, some makers turn it into black or tinted film, where a slight grey doesn't matter. For buyers who need opaque film anyway, that is an easy way to raise recycled content.
Thinner film beats recycled film
A lighter gauge that still holds cuts plastic use directly. Do that first, then add recycled content.
Labels and claims on cases
Check that any percentage printed on a case matches the data sheet and the certificate before repeating it to customers.
Questions readers ask
- Will PCR film look different?
- It can be slightly hazy or grey compared with film from new resin, and may show small specks. That is cosmetic unless clarity matters for scanning labels.
- Is PCR film weaker?
- Not necessarily. It depends on the share of recycled material, its quality and how the film is made. Compare data sheets and test on your loads.
- Does it cost more?
- It depends on the market for recycled resin, which moves. Ask for both prices in the same quote.
- Can we specify a minimum percentage?
- Yes. Put the post-consumer share you need in the request, and ask how it is documented: a mass-balance statement, batch certificate or independent audit each mean something different.
- Is bio-based film the same as PCR?
- No. Bio-based polyethylene is made from plant-derived ethanol, often sugarcane, rather than fossil feedstock; it is new material, not recycled. Some films combine both.
Sources
- EPA, plastics: material-specific data (reviewed 2026-11-12)
- Lantech, "Use the force: containment force is the key to safe pallet loads" (reviewed 2026-11-13)
Facts on this page last reviewed 2026-11-13.