Energy & Sustainability worked example

Recycled Content Rate at 25% recycled content target: a worked example

Suppose recycled content target falls to 25%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Calculate recycled content percentage from recycled material input, total material input, and target percentage.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Recycled material input: 42,000 lb (held at the documented default)
  • Total material input: 100,000 lb (held at the documented default)
  • Recycled content target: 25 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 35)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Recycled content rate = recycled material input ÷ total material input × 100.
  • Recycled content rate works out to 42 % at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gap to recycled content target works out to -17 points at these inputs.
  • Recycled material input works out to 42,000 lb at these inputs.
  • Total material input works out to 100,000 lb at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where recycled content target sits at 35% and the headline result is 42 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 42 %.
  • It computes the share of total material input that is recycled feedstock and the gap, in points, to your recycled-content target. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Recycled content rate: 42 % (headline result)
  • Gap to recycled content target: -17 points
  • Recycled material input: 42,000 lb
  • Total material input: 100,000 lb

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Recycled Content Rate calculator, set recycled content target to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.