The notion that many of the products we use today are made from recycled plastics is quite widely accepted. It helps to reassure us that we are making better decisions with the products we buy, that we are supporting more of a circular economy and saving the planet’s resources. And the idea that the stapler or plastic waste bin at the office has been made from recycled stadium seats or from recycled CD cases for example is very appealing.
The reality? Only a small amount of the plastic we use is actually recycled, in fact just 9% of plastic ever produced has been recycled globally. Alarmingly 72% ends up in landfill and the rest, between 8 and 11 million tons of plastic, goes into the sea each year or is destroyed by incineration. So re-using plastic seems the perfect solution especially with the financial impact of packaging taxes such as The Plastic Packaging Tax and EPR.
There are two recycled plastic content options when it comes to choosing your pallet wrap, PIR and PCR and both are instrumental in reducing the use of virgin plastic.
But which one is best and what are the genuine benefits the right choice will deliver for your warehouse operation?
PIR vs PCR pallet wrap
Understanding the Terminology
PIR – Post-Industrial Recycled plastic is manufactured using waste materials recovered from the manufacturing process. This includes excess materials, off-cuts, and rejected items that did not reach consumers. These materials are typically clean, well-sorted, and easy to process back into new products.
PCR – Post-Consumer Recycled plastic is produced from materials that have completed their lifecycle as consumer products. These items like water bottles, packaging, and other plastic goods, are collected through recycling programs after use, then processed and remanufactured into new products. Invariably these plastics will be difficult to get hold of and will contaminated.
This distinction is important. While both options reduce virgin plastic consumption, they represent different stages in the circular economy and come with different environmental implications.
So let’s look at that environmental impact between PIR and PCR stretch film.
PIR Pallet Wrap
Post-industrial recycled plastic content has been the go-to sustainable pallet wrap option for many years, primarily because it offers:
Consistent quality: Manufacturing waste is typically uncontaminated, making it easier to process into high-performance products such as iWrap stretch wrap
Cost-effectiveness: The collection and processing of PIR materials is relatively straightforward and economical.
Reliability: PIR materials often retain properties close to virgin plastic, meaning performance rarely suffers.
PCR Pallet Wrap
Post-consumer recycled content represents a more meaningful environmental step forward:
Waste diversion: PCR materials genuinely prevent plastic from entering landfills, waterways, or incineration facilities.
Reduced carbon footprint: Using PCR reduces the need for virgin or new plastic production, which is energy-intensive and uses more of our natural resources.
Closed-loop potential: PCR creates a genuine circular economy where products complete their lifecycle and become new products. However harvesting appropriate plastic materials which then need to be decontaminated adds to the cost considerably.
So PCR pallet wrap on paper looks to have the edge on PIR pallet wrap, but it is definitely not without its challenges. And it would certainly be wise to complete your due diligence to understand you’re getting exactly what you’re paying for. Some suppliers are promoting pallet wrap containing 100% PCR so a number of questions should naturally come to mind.
Questions for your pallet wrap supplier
When purchasing either PIR or PCR Pallet Wrap, it’s essential to ask the right questions to ensure quality, sustainability, supply and cost-effectiveness. Here are some key questions on 4 main areas to ask your supplier before purchase:
- Content & Certification
✅ What percentage of the pallet wrap is made from recycled material and virgin material?
✅ Is the recycled content certified? (Look for certifications like EUCertPlast, RecyClass, or equivalent.)
✅ Where is the recycled plastic material sourced from? (Locally sourced materials reduce the carbon footprint)
- Performance & Strength
✅ How does the performance compare to virgin plastic pallet wrap? (Tensile strength, stretch, puncture resistance)
✅ Is it suitable for high-stretch applications or machine wrapping? (Some PCR wraps may have lower stretch capabilities)
✅ Has the wrap been independently tested for load stability?
- Environmental Impact & Compliance
✅ Does it help meet UK Plastic Packaging Tax compliance? (Must contain at least 30% recycled plastic content to avoid the £223.69 per tonne associated costs)
✅ Is the wrap fully recyclable after use? (And is it possible with local recycling schemes?)
✅ What is the carbon footprint compared to standard pallet wrap?
4. Cost & Availability
✅ How does the cost compare to PIR pallet wrap? (PCR wrap will almost definitely have high, upfront costs)
✅ Is there consistent availability of supply? (Supply reliability is crucial as it is notoriously difficult to find guaranteed sources)
Making your informed choice
We seek to provide either PIR or PCR pallet wrap solutions based on current technology, supply, cost and performance criteria.
PIR LLDPE provides predictable, reliable results whilst still preventing waste entering landfill, helping us and the customers we work with achieve our sustainability objectives.
Consistent and regular supply on PCR pallet wrap can be a concern as well as the energy and resources needed to decontaminate the appropriate plastics recovered, but does offer a more sustainable solution overall.
For operations where reliability cannot be compromised yet environmental progress is important, PIR pallet wrap provides that combination of dependable performance and meaningful sustainability credentials at a more favourable price point.
Will it be PIR or PCR?
The most environmentally responsible approach is to first optimise your wrapping processes to minimise material usage, then select products with the highest practical level of reliable recycled content that works for your budget and performs how you need it to. This strategy delivers both operational efficiency and genuine environmental benefits.
By understanding the differences between PIR and PCR, and by making informed choices based on verified information rather than marketing claims, businesses can significantly reduce their environmental impact while maintaining the performance standards essential for safe and efficient logistics operations.