What is the difference between postconsumer, preconsumer, and recovered materials?
(return to top) A Recycled content products are often labeled with percentages of postconsumer and recovered material. Postconsumer material is a material or a finished product that has served its intended use and then is diverted or recovered before it is disposed. It is the material consumers and businesses recycle; it does not include manufacturer’s waste that is commonly reused in the original manufacturing process. Postconsumer material is part of the broader category of recovered material. Preconsumer material is material that is recycled before it is used by a consumer. For example, paper mill scraps that are recycled at a paper mill.
