GRS (Global Recycled Standard) applies to products with 20% or more recycled content, requires 50% or more to carry the GRS logo, and adds social, environmental and chemical criteria at each certified site. RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) verifies the presence and amount of recycled material from 5% upward, chain of custody only. Both are held by the resin supplier and each converter, with a transaction certificate per lot. EU and UK retailers tend to ask for GRS by name. Neither certificate makes a pack recyclable or fixes its colour.
The two standards side by side
Both GRS and RCS are chain-of-custody standards administered by Textile Exchange. Both track recycled input through every processor, and both issue a transaction certificate per lot. The difference is scope: RCS stops at "this much of this lot is recycled"; GRS goes on to audit how each certified site is run.
| Scheme | What it verifies | Threshold and scope | Who holds it | Use on pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRS — Global Recycled Standard | Recycled input, chain of custody through every processor, plus social, environmental and chemical criteria at each site | Products with 20% or more recycled content; the GRS logo on a product requires 50% or more | Resin supplier and each converter in the chain; a transaction certificate per lot | The stricter claim; the one EU and UK retailers ask for by name |
| RCS — Recycled Claim Standard | Presence and amount of recycled material, chain of custody only | From 5% recycled content; no social or environmental criteria | Resin supplier and converters; transaction certificate per lot | Verifies the percentage; does not speak to how the site is run |
| Third-party PCR test report | Laboratory verification of recycled share on the actual resin lot | Per lot | Ordered by the brand or the sourcing partner on the lot used | Backs the certificate where a retailer audits the claim |
A practical reading: if your pack will say "50% PCR" and you sell through EU or UK retail, plan for GRS, because that is what the buyer's compliance team will ask for and 50% is exactly the logo threshold. If your claim is 30% and your route is direct-to-consumer, RCS proves the number at lower cost to the chain. Neither is "better" in the abstract; they answer different questions.
Who actually holds the certificate
This is where most PCR claims fall apart. The recycled content enters the chain at the resin supplier — the recycler that produces the PCR pellets. The moulding factory is a converter: it can be certified to handle GRS or RCS material, but it does not create the recycled content and it cannot certify a percentage on its own letterhead. For your claim to hold, three documents have to line up:
- The resin supplier's scope certificate — proof the recycler is in the GRS or RCS system for the resin type you are buying (PP, HDPE, PET, PETG).
- The converter's scope certificate — proof the moulding factory is certified to receive, process and pass on certified material without breaking the chain.
- A transaction certificate for your lot — the document that says this quantity of this resin lot is certified recycled at the stated share. It is issued per shipment and is the one you match to the resin lot number at incoming inspection.
A factory that says "we are GRS certified" is describing the second item. Ask for the first and third before you approve artwork with a percentage on it. If the factory cannot name its resin supplier and scheme, the percentage is a hope. The incoming-inspection step — certificate present and lot-matched before moulding starts — is written into the PCR gate on the quality standards page.
What the certificate does not do
"Sustainable" is not a material; it is one of three separate claims, and a recycled-content certificate speaks to exactly one of them.
| Claim | What it is about | Evidence that supports it | What GRS / RCS says about it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycled content | What the pack is made from | GRS or RCS transaction certificate per lot; third-party PCR test report; heavy-metals report on the PCR lot (Pb + Cd + Hg + Cr(VI) ≤100 ppm) | This is the claim it certifies |
| Recyclability | What happens to the whole pack after use, including label, liner, insert and cap | Mono-material component list (PE body, PE shoulder, PE cap, PE-compatible label); the recycling protocol of your market | Nothing. A 50% PCR tube is not automatically recyclable; a PP cap on a PE tube breaks the claim regardless of certificate |
| Reuse | How many times the pack is used | Refill system tested for engagement over 100 cycles and seal at 5°C / 40°C | Nothing, unless the pod itself is PCR |
| Bio-based | Renewable feedstock | TÜV or equivalent bio-based verification per resin grade | Nothing. Sugarcane bio-PE is a virgin resin from a renewable source; it is not PCR and should not be described as recycled |
| Colour and consistency | Whether lot 2 looks like lot 1 | Signed golden sample, ΔE band under D65, resin supplier and grade locked in the spec | Nothing. A certificate does not fix the grey-beige base or the lot-to-lot shift |
Keeping the three claims apart is the single most useful habit on an eco range, because a factory quote will not. The material routes and what each one legitimately claims are laid out on the sustainable and refillable packaging solution.
Questions to ask before printing a percentage
- Which scheme, GRS or RCS? If the pack will carry a logo, is the share 50% or more?
- Who is the resin supplier, and can I see their scope certificate for this resin type?
- Is the moulding factory certified as a converter under the same scheme, so the chain is unbroken?
- Will a transaction certificate be issued for my lot, and will its lot number be matched at IQC before moulding starts?
- Is the resin supplier and grade named in my specification, so a cheaper recycled stream cannot be substituted on the reorder?
- Will the certificate copies ship with the goods and the inspection report, for the compliance file?
The wider supplier checks — audit reports, QC thresholds in writing, mould ownership — are in how to evaluate a China packaging supplier; the regulatory context behind why retailers ask (UK recycling mark, EU PPWR since 12 August 2026) is on the compliance guide, stated as label context rather than regulatory advice.
What it means for your minimum and timeline
The certificate itself costs the brand nothing extra in minimum quantity. What costs is the resin lot behind it: certified PCR is bought to order, so a stock PCR bottle starts from about 500 pieces only where a partner factory already runs the item in PCR, and the cycle is 35–50 days rather than 7–25 for virgin stock plastic. The percentage-by-percentage picture is in how much PCR before colour and clarity suffer, and the route table in PCR packaging at low MOQ: what is realistic.
Vella is a Guangzhou-based beauty packaging solutions provider that helps indie and emerging cosmetic brands source PCR and eco packaging from vetted Chinese partner factories operating to ISO 22716 / GMP, obtaining the resin supplier's certificate scope before production and matching the transaction certificate to the lot at incoming inspection. Formats are on eco & sustainable packaging.
Common questions
Printing a PCR percentage?
Get the certificate chain checked first.
Send the component, resin and target share. Within 24 hours you get the scheme recommendation, the certificate scope and the route that lands under the floor.
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