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A common assumption in sustainability is that switching from virgin to recycled plastic automatically reduces a product’s climate impact. LCA tells a more complex story. Målbar’s calculations reveal that the best material choice depends heavily on your specific production context — and that a full supply chain analysis is necessary before drawing conclusions.

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Why the answer is rarely straightforward

Both virgin and recycled plastic involve long, complex supply chains with distinct energy inputs, processing steps, and geographic variations. The climate impact of recycled plastic, for example, depends on:
  • How the material was collected and sorted
  • What energy source powered the recycling process
  • How far the recycled material was transported
  • The quality and yield of the recycling output
Similarly, the impact of virgin plastic depends on the feedstock source, refining process, and the electricity mix of the production facility.
Switching to recycled plastic is not necessarily the best way to lower your product’s climate impact. LCA is the tool that reveals where the actual impact lies — and where intervention is most effective.

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What LCA adds to the picture

An effective LCA dives deep into the full production chain, tracing every step from raw material extraction through to the point where the material arrives at your production facility. This level of detail allows you to:
  • Compare the actual emissions profiles of virgin and recycled options for your specific supply chain
  • Identify the highest-impact steps in production — which may not be the material choice itself
  • Find opportunities to rethink process design, not just material selection
LCA helps you identify where to rethink both your production processes and your product design. Material substitution is one lever; it is rarely the only one, and not always the most effective.

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The supply chain complexity

Virgin plastic is derived from fossil feedstocks — typically crude oil or natural gas. The supply chain includes extraction, refining, cracking, polymerisation, and compounding. Each step carries an energy cost and associated emissions. The carbon intensity varies significantly by feedstock type, production region, and energy mix.
Recycled plastic begins with collection, sorting, cleaning, and reprocessing. The quality and energy intensity of these steps varies widely by recycling technology, contamination levels, and the type of plastic. Some recycled plastics require significant energy to process back to a usable grade; others have markedly lower footprints than their virgin counterparts.

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Making evidence-based decisions with Målbar

Målbar gives you the data infrastructure to move beyond assumptions. By modelling your specific material inputs — with their actual supply chain data — you can make material choices based on evidence rather than general rules of thumb.
Use Målbar to compare scenarios directly: model your product with the current material and with the alternative, then compare the results. The difference will tell you whether — and by how much — the material switch actually reduces impact in your context.

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Download the illustration

Virgin vs recycled plastic illustration (PDF)

Download the Målbar Academy multi-slide visual explainer for virgin and recycled plastic supply chains.