Recycled Content (ReCon) Tool

EPA created the Recycled Content (ReCon) Tool to help companies and individuals estimate life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy impacts from purchasing and/or manufacturing materials with varying degrees of post-consumer recycled content. Emission estimates provided by the ReCon Tool are intended to support voluntary GHG measurement and reporting initiatives, as well as such initiatives as EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG) Program. ReCon is available both as a web-based calculator and as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (82 kb WinZip archive).

The ReCon Tool calculates GHG emissions and energy consumption related to purchasing and/or manufacturing activities using analyses of baseline and alternative recycled-content scenarios. For example, the tool will allow the user to estimate the GHG emissions and energy benefits of purchasing office paper with 35 percent recycled content instead of 25 percent recycled content. Emissions and energy units are calculated using a life-cycle perspective (i.e., what impacts will this purchasing or manufacturing decision have on emissions and energy use associated with the manufacture and disposal of a given material).