PET, rPET, PCR… We get it—there are a lot of acronyms used in the industry. We’re here to help. Below are acronyms and industry terms with their definitions. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Contact Lindsay Nichols to add to the list.
| APET | Virgin amorphous PET; used to describe virgin resin used in PET thermoform conversion |
| BPA | Bisphenol A, a potentially harmful chemical contaminant |
| CAA | Circular Action Alliance, California’s PRO |
| CalRecycle | California Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery: California’s government recycling agency brings together California’s recycling and waste management programs |
| CPET | Crystalline PET (non-transparent) |
| CPGs | Consumer packaged goods |
| CRV | California Redemption Value (container deposit return system in California) |
| DRS | Deposit return system, aka bottle deposits, such as the 10 states in the US with DRS programs |
| EPR | Extended producer responsibility: an environmental policy that holds manufacturers or producers responsible for the entire life cycle of a product, including how it’s managed and disposed of (may be mandated through legislation) |
| FMCG | Fast-moving consumer goods: everyday items like food, beverages, toiletries, and cleaning supplies that are sold quickly at relatively low prices |
| HDPE | High-density polyethylene, e.g., bottles, cups, milk jugs, etc., resin identification code #2 |
| IV | Intrinsic viscosity: a Metric used to describe the viscous behavior of a polymer solution, directly correlated to mechanical robustness |
| LDPE | Low-density polyethylene, e.g., plastic bags, six-pack rings, tubing, etc., resin identification code #4 |
| LNO | Letter of No Objection: a letter issued by the FDA verifying a company’s recycling process for post-consumer materials meets their high standards for food-safe plastic standards; internationally recognized symbol of food safety |
| MAP | Modified Atmosphere Packaging: when the atmosphere inside the package is altered to provide an optimum condition for the product |
| MRF | Materials Recovery Facility, a specialized waste sorting and recycling system that receives, separates, and prepares recyclable materials for marketing to end-user manufacturers; also known as a Materials Recycling/Reclamation/Re-use Facility |
| NAPCOR | The National Association of PET Container Resources: the voice of the North American PET plastic industry |
| NIR | Near-Infrared sorting technology: using scanners to identify and categorize different types of materials by measuring the light they reflect or transmit in the near-infrared spectrum |
| PC | Post-consumer: a product or resource that has been used by a consumer or customer |
| PCR | Post-consumer recycled content: material that has been used by consumers, recycled, and then repurposed into new products; generated from material that has met its intended use by consumers before being recycled |
| PET | Polyethylene terephthalate: a clear, durable, versatile plastic resin and polyester that meets the rigorous demands of modern packaging applications and is widely used in packaging; the most recycled plastic in the world, identified by the #1 resin identification code |
| PETG | Polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified: NOT considered resin code #1 or compatible with PET recycling stream |
| PFAS | Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances: potentially harmful chemical contaminants |
| PI | Post-industrial, aka pre-consumer: material recovered or otherwise diverted from the waste stream during the manufacturing process or before a product reaches its intended end user |
| PIR | Post-industrial recycled content |
| PP | Polystyrene, e.g., plastic utensils, Styrofoam, cafeteria trays, etc., resin identification code #6 |
| PRCC | Plastic Recycling Corporation of California: a PET broker that has conducted composition studies on California PET bales |
| PRO | Producer Responsibility Org, a group that helps manufacturers meet their legal obligations for product and packaging waste management under EPR laws, e.g., the Circular Action Alliance was selected by CalRecycle as the PRO |
| PS | Polystyrene: synthetic polymer, resin identification code #6 |
| PVC | Polyvinyl chloride: a synthetic plastic polymer, e.g., pipes, siding, flooring, etc., resin identification code #3 |
| RC | Recycled content |
| REM | Responsible End Market: businesses that use recycled materials to make products in a way that’s good for the environment and protects public health and safety |
| rPET | Recycled PET |
| RR | Recycling refund: bottle deposits/same as DRS |
| SB 343 | Senate Bill 343, California’s 2021 Accurate Recycling Label legislation |
| SB 54 | Senate Bill 54, California’s EPR legislation |
| SSP | Solid state polymerization, also known as pelletizing, the process for converting rPET flake into a food-grade LNO pellet |
| TCWF | Thermoform clean-washed flake: clean rPET flake generated from post-consumer PET thermoforms |
| vPET | Virgin/new PET |
| Term | Definition |
| APET | Virgin amorphous PET: used to describe new, or virgin, resin used in PET thermoform conversion |
| Circularity | A closed-loop usage model in which recycled materials are remanufactured into the same kind of product from which they were derived |
| Clean flake | Clean recycled PET that has been washed and processed by a reclaimer, suitable for use in new products or conversion into pellet, used interchangeably with rPET |
| Converter | A company that processes clean rPET flake into a higher grade, such as pellet approved for food contact, or into bottles / thermoforms |
| Dirty flake | Granulated post-consumer PET that has not yet been washed/processed into recyclate; alternative to baled reclamation feedstock |
| Eco-modulation | In the context of EPR, adjusting producer fees based on the recyclability and/or environmental impact of packaging materials and incentivizing eco-friendly behavior |
| End markets | Businesses that use recycled material to make new products |
| Extrusion | Process of forcing resin through a die to form continuous shapes; a step in creating PET sheet and pellet |
| Feedstock | Inputs to the recycling/reclamation process |
| Food-grade applications | Packaging suitable for direct food contact in compliance with FDA regulations |
| Grade B bales | Post-consumer materials derived from curbside collection or a similar mixed-commodity recycling stream |
| Life cycle | All stages of a product system, beginning with raw material extraction and continuing through material production, product fabrication, use, reuse, or recycling, where applicable, and final disposition |
| Lightweighting | Reducing the weight of plastic packaging while maintaining performance and functionality, through redesign, using more PCR, etc. |
| Pelletizing | Also known as SSP, the process for converting rPET flake into a food-grade LNO pellet |
| Positive sort | Removing the targeted material from the sort line, as opposed to removing contamination and leaving the targeted material |
| Post-consumer | A product or resource that has met its intended use by a consumer or customer |
| Purge | PET scrap generated from extrusion, often captured and reprocessed as a form of post-industrial recycling |
| Reclaimer | A company that purchases post-consumer PET and produces clean, recycled PET flake or pellet for use or sale |
| Reclamation | The process of converting used plastic into a recycled product suitable for use in manufacturing; The process of recovering a usable product from plastic that has been processed; recycled materials that have been collected and separated by commodity into recyclate suitable for use in new products |
| Recyclate | Recycled material |
| Regrind | Scrap generated during standard thermoform manufacturing, often captured and reprocessed as a form of post-industrial recycling |
| Resin identification code | A number from 1 to 7 enclosed in a triangle that identifies the type of plastic resin of which a product is made |
| Responsible end market | Businesses that use recycled materials to make products in a way that’s good for the environment and protects public health and safety |
| Scrap | PET scrap generated from extrusion, often captured and reprocessed as a form of post-industrial recycling, aka purge |
| Source reduction | The practice of reducing the amount of plastic used in manufacturing, e.g., lightweighting or eliminating plastic waste before it’s created |
| Sustainable packaging | Packaging that is designed to reduce environmental impacts throughout its life cycle |
| Thermoforms | A manufacturing process that heats a plastic sheet until it is pliable, then forms it into a specific shape using a mold, and finally cools it to harden, e.g., containers such as clamshells, cups, tubs, lids, boxes, trays, egg cartons, and similar rigid, non-bottle packaging formed from sheets of extruded resin; known as trays outside of North America |
| Virgin | New material |
Studies show that PET plastic outperforms glass and aluminum beverage packaging in several key environmental categories, and that replacing virgin PET resin with recycled PET yields significant environmental benefits.
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Recycled PET is a valuable raw material with millions of pounds used annually in the production of new packaging and other goods in the US and Canada.
Made from rPET
Protect PET’s valued recyclability by incorporating recycling-friendly design elements in your packaging innovations.
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PET is essential to disaster recovery, packaging essentials like water, medical devices, and food, and positively impacts our economy.
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