Recyclability is the ability of a product or pack to be collected, sorted and recycled into usable material in the real world. A pack is only recyclable if there is a working system that collects it, a technology that can sort and process it, and a market for the output.
That is why technically recyclable and actually recycled are different things. Recyclability depends on design for recycling, the polymer used, colour, labels, inks and the way layers are combined, and on local infrastructure. A clear HDPE bottle scores well almost everywhere; a multilayer sachet does not. Organisations such as RecyClass assess and certify packaging recyclability against published protocols. Recyclability is one half of circular packaging; the other is using recycled content.
