Percentage of recycled materials used to manufacture the organization's products (including packaging) during the reporting period.
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used.
This metric is intended to capture the percentage of recycled materials used in manufacturing the organization's products (including packaging) during the reporting period.
Recycled materials comprise processed recovered waste and may include glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics. Composted or other processed biodegradable waste is also considered recycled material.
In some contexts, this metric can serve as an indicator of whether the outcome being sought by an investor or organization is occurring (the WHAT dimension of impact). For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see IRIS+ and the Five Dimensions of Impact (https://iris.thegiin.org/document/iris-and-the-five-dimensions/). No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. When possible, the selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.
June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revisions to definition and usage guidance for clarity.
May 2021 - IRIS v5.2 Released
Immaterial change. Minor revision to calculation language and usage guidance for clarity.
January 2020 - IRIS v5.1 Released
No change.
May 2019 - IRIS v5.0 Released
No change.
March 2016 - IRIS v4.0 Released
Immaterial change. Minor modification to metric name for clarity.
March 2014 - IRIS v3.0 Released
New metric. Recycled Materials Ratio (PD9364) was developed via the IRIS Taxonomy Group.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).