What's the difference between recycled fibers and post consumer conent? Aren't they both actually the same?

Question

What's the difference between recycled fibers and post consumer conent? Aren't they both actually the same?

Answer 1

Post consumer content has material that has come from households.  Recycled fibers can come from the manufacturing company's own processing, so the material was never used by consumers.

Answer 2

"Post consumer" means it was used by someone, collected for recycling, and then recycled.  What most people think of as recycling.

But when a company makes paper, boxes, etc. there is often waste that can be recycled in the plant.  It is very uniform and pristine waste, so it is very easy to recycle.

The post consumer waste usually has other stuff mixed in, and is much more difficult to truly recycle.