There’s no easy answer to this, because some is, and some isn’t. By sending your Belkin products back to us at the end of their useful life, we can ensure they’re recycled whenever possible.

PCR plastic is a more responsible material than virgin plastic, but it’s still a petroleum-based plastic. That means it isn’t biodegradable, so it wouldn’t break down if you were to put it on a compost heap and living microorganisms can’t eat it.

‘Post-Consumer Recycled’ refers specifically to materials that have been recycled after they’ve been sold to consumers like you – so for example, it could be plastic that’s made from cleaned and reprocessed bottles that you discarded with your household recycling.

The more general word ‘recycled’, on the other hand, is a catch-all term for any material that’s been recycled at any stage during its lifetime. It could therefore refer to Post-Consumer Recycled plastic or Post-Industrial Recycled plastic reprocessed from waste during the manufacturing process (such as excess plastic used in making plastic water bottles).

It’s not always obvious from looking at a product or its packaging whether it’s made with virgin or PCR plastic. You’re getting the benefits of plastic, such as its strength, durability and versatility. It may say so on the product’s packaging, but if you’re ever in doubt, we’ll let you know when we’ve used PCR plastics in your Belkin products.