Separate the two claims
Recycled content concerns the origin of a stated share of material entering a product. Recyclability concerns what can happen to the discarded item through an available collection, sorting and reprocessing system. Neither question can be answered reliably by a recycling arrow alone. Ask what the percentage applies to and how the intended route handles the assembled item.
Define the denominator
A content statement may refer to the textile, polymer, fibre portion or complete product. Ask whether it uses a mass basis and distinguishes pre-consumer from post-consumer material. Keep exclusions visible. A recycled-content claim about a fabric should not be turned into the same percentage for a metal-framed, illuminated display.
Scope chain-of-custody evidence
Textile Exchange provides standards for recycled materials and their custody through supply chains. Read the current standard and claims policy when evaluating a specific supplier statement. Record the certificate scope, transaction evidence where relevant and edition. A company being listed under a scheme does not settle the claim for every item it sells.
Test the destination question independently
Describe the ink, finish, contamination, components and quantity to a candidate receiving organisation. Obtain a current response about acceptance conditions and costs. Keep the input-content evidence and the destination response in separate fields; combining them into a single green score obscures information you need for a real purchasing decision.
Worked example — illustrative
A fabric supplier declares a recycled share for a named textile. The buyer records the fabric scope and requests supporting custody information. The same graphic will be sewn with fittings and fitted to a frame. The buyer evaluates final recovery separately, asking about the fabric construction and attached components. The content statement remains useful even while the end-of-use route is unresolved.
- Name the component and denominator.
- Record the reclaimed-input definition.
- Check custody and product applicability.
- Ask a separate destination question.
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