Closed-loop recycling is recycling in which a used product is turned back into the same type of product, for example shrink film recycled into new shrink film, or a lubricant bottle into a new bottle. The material stays in its original application instead of moving to a lower-value use.
It is the opposite of open-loop recycling and downcycling, where material shifts to a different and often less demanding product. Closing the loop needs clean, well-sorted feedstock, tight process control and a buyer willing to specify recycled content. Many brand programmes work this way: packaging waste is collected, recycled into PCR granules and supplied back into the same brand’s packaging.
CII Sustainable Plastic Packaging Awards 2026
Lucro took home the Excellence award for Incorporation of Recycled Content in both rigid and flexible packaging at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Sustainable Plastic Packaging Awards 2026:
Post-consumer plastic, back on the shelf as bottles and pouches. The jury noticed.
