producer declaration

If I received a statement like that from a manufacturer, and if I could not obtain clearer data, I would “assume” the worst (that there was NO post-consumer content). I would enter “80% pre-consumer” into the Materials Calculator. However, first, I would contact the manufacturer for more information and ask them why they are not sure where their raw materials come from. Is there 80% recycled content estimate reliable, or is it just a guess too. Finally, I would try to determine whether the person calculating the percentages understands the recycled content definitions and calculations. For example, on an early LEED project, I kept receiving data from one manufacturer reporting high recycled percentages with vague pre-/post- numbers. When I delved into it, it appeared that the manufacturer had misinterpreted the “recycled content” definitions, greatly exaggerating their claim. It was safer for me to ignore their data altogether and report 0% recycled content.