Sustainable Packaging Glossary

Compost
Compost is a soil conditioner obtained by biodegradation of a mixture consisting principally of vegetable residues, occasionally with other organic material and having a limited mineral content. (Source: ISO17088:2008)

Compostable
A characteristic of a product, packaging or associated component that allows it to biodegrade, generating a relatively homogeneous and stable humus-like substance. (Source: ISO 14021:2016)

Composting
[The] aerobic process designed to produce compost (Source: ISO18606:2013)

EPR fee
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is “an environmental protection strategy to reach an environmental objective of a decreased total environmental impact of a product, by making the manufacturer of the product responsible for the entire life-cycle of the product and especially for the take-back, recycling and final disposal.” (Source: Wikipedia, 09/2019)

EPR fees are charges levied on producers of certain items that intended to cover the costs of managing of the resulting waste.

Material recycling
Reprocessing, by means of a manufacturing process, of a used packaging material into a roduct, a component incorporated into a product, or a secondary (recycled) raw material; excluding energy recovery and the use of the product as a fuel. Source: (ISO 18604, 2013)

[Plastic] Recyclate
Plastics material resulting from the recycling of plastics waste (Source: ISO 15270:2008)

Post-consumer waste
A post-consumer material is a material generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product which can no longer be used for its intended purpose. This includes returns of material from the distribution chain. (Source: ISO 14021:2016)

Post-industrial waste
A post-industrial material is a material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process. (Source: ISO 14021:2016)

Primary (virgin) raw material
Material which has never been processed into any form of end-use product (Source: ISO18604:2013)

Recovered [reclaimed] material
Material that would have otherwise been disposed of as waste or used for energy recovery, but has instead been collected and recovered [reclaimed] as a material input, in lieu of new primary material, for a recycling or a manufacturing process. (Source: ISO 14021:2016)

Recovered [reclaimed] paper
Waste paper recovered for use, reuse, reprocessing or recycling. (Source: ISO 4046-4:2016)

Recycled material
A material that has been reprocessed from recovered material by means of a manufacturing process and made into a final product or into a component for incorporation into a product. (Source: ISO 14021:2016)

Recycled paper
Paper or board derived partially or totally from recyclable paper. (Source: ISO 4046-4:2016)

Recycling
A post-industrial material is a material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process. (Source: ISO 14021:2016)

Renewable material
Material that is composed of biomass from a living source and that can be continually replenished. (Source: ISO 14021:2016)

[Technical] Recyclability
A characteristic of a product, packaging or associated component that can be diverted from the waste stream through available processes and programs and can be collected, processed and returned to use in the form of raw materials or products.  (Source: ISO 14021:2016)

Waste
Waste is anything for which the generator or holder has no further use and which is discarded or is released to the environment. (Source: ISO 14021:2016)