Recycled

Let's start with the definitions

According to the guidelines of ISO standard 14021, packaging can be defined as:

• Recyclable when it can be separated from the general waste stream to be reused to produce secondary raw materials. When talking about recyclable packaging, it is important to distinguish between the material an item is made from and the item itself, because if a material is recyclable, that does not mean it is automatically recyclable for all its uses.
• Recycled when it is made from reprocessed recovered material that would otherwise have been sent for disposal or energy recovery. It should be noted that packaging made from recovered material does not always have lower environmental impacts: depending on the material's origin and the function of the new packaging, more or less complex treatments may be required, which consume water and energy.

Some useful considerations

That said, the fact that a package is made from recycled or recyclable materials does not automatically make it sustainable and, even if a package is made from recycled materials, it may not itself be easily recyclable, which reduces its sustainability. Therefore, it is important to consider not only the recycled material content of a package, but also its overall environmental impact.
But the most important thing to remember is that packaging must first and foremost ensure optimal product protection in a clean environment free from external contamination, guaranteeing the end user maximum hygiene and ease of use.