How to read a recovered PET claim: why chain of custody matters

The problem: one label, different sources

Recycled polyester is a frequent headline in sustainability communication. But a single word on a label does not tell you where the material came from, how much of the product is made from recovered input or how that information was verified. For ESG, purchasing and retail teams the real question is not “is it recycled?” but “from which source, how much and with which document?”

This distinction matters not only for communication but also for purchasing. A tender specification, a retail category decision or a sustainability report relies not on the word on the label but on the document behind it. A claim without a document turns into a question mark at the first audit.

The frame: three separate questions

When reading a recovered PET claim, three questions need to be kept apart.

What is the source?

PET input may be collected on land, come from coasts or rivers, or be taken out of the sea. Ocean-bound material, which is at risk of reaching the ocean, and material collected from the sea are not the same thing. A correct claim states the source category, the location and the batch clearly.

How much of the product is recovered input?

A textile product is not only its main fabric. In FRIGG's microfilament construction, polyester is combined with polyamide; sewing thread, labels, finishes and packaging are also part of the product. Recycled content should therefore be calculated over the product's total mass, and the calculation method should be stated. The distinction between post-consumer and pre-consumer input is part of that calculation as well.

How is the chain proven?

The path from source to product should be traceable through supplier and batch records. This traceability is usually shown with a chain of custody (CoC) document; programmes such as GRS or RCS are examples of such documents. Which supplier, which batch and which product a document covers has to be read separately.

FRIGG's approach

FRIGG describes how PET recovered from the environment and from water systems is turned into polyester input, and how that input is processed with Q0 ECO microfilament technology into reusable textiles. Each stage of the cycle is matched with its own evidence: the recovery stage with a source and chain document, the polymer and fibre stage with a recycled content calculation, and the microfilament stage with a technical data sheet (TDS) and a quality plan.

FRIGG's communication principle is to show the operational benefit first, namely absorption, drying, strength and reuse, and to present the recovered source and environmental evidence after that, to the extent it is verified. Where there is no evidence of the source type and the chain, the general wording “recovered PET” is used, and no more specific statement about the source type is made.

The planned product-level QR evidence card is designed to bring this information together in one place: mass share and calculation method, source category, supplier and chain evidence, and the document's scope and validity. When a document expires, the related information is deactivated and the previous version is archived.

The practical meaning of matching cycle stages with evidence in this way is simple: if the evidence for a stage is missing, a claim that rests on that stage is not published either. The performance of the microfilament construction, for example, can be shown with a technical data sheet, but that does not replace the recycled content calculation.

Evidence: reading the document

• Which product code or batch does the document cover?

• Is the recycled content calculated over the product's total mass, or given for a single component only?

• Is the source category (land, coast, river, sea) stated clearly?

• Are the issuing body, document number and validity date clear?

• Is a corporate management system certificate kept apart from a product or raw-material document?

Document needs can also differ by market and area of use. Clarifying which document is expected for which market and channel before the assessment starts therefore makes the next steps easier.

The limit

This guide does not state a recycled content share, a source category or a chain document for any FRIGG product, and it does not say that FRIGG holds a certificate under any of the programmes named above. This information is shared per product, at the sample and quotation stage, as it is verified with the product's bill of materials and chain documents. Phrases such as “fully recycled”, “fully recyclable” or “collected from the sea” are not used without a product code, chain evidence and a test report. Recycled content alone does not describe a product's environmental impact.

Next step

If you need source and content information for a purchasing or ESG assessment, state in your request the product you are interested in and the type of document you expect. The evidence center page also helps with reading documents. Send your request.

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• Evidence
• Recovered PET