Post-consumer recycled (PCR) polymers have transitioned from peripheral feedstock options to a structural pillar of consumer-goods packaging strategies, reflecting tightening circularity mandates, voluntary brand commitments, and shifting consumer expectations across both mature and emerging markets. Yet the recovery and reincorporation of secondary polymer streams reintroduces legacy chemical baggage—legacy flame retardants, plasticizers, heavy metals, and non-intentionally added substances—creating a persistent tension with the harmonized chemical-safety architecture of the European Union and analogous frameworks in adjacent jurisdictions. This paper develops an integrated decision framework that reconciles three frequently competing imperatives: harmonized chemical compliance, the lifecycle greenhouse-gas footprint of secondary polymer streams, and the cross-jurisdictional regulatory exposure that accompanies the circulation of recyclate across global value chains. Drawing on a structured synthesis of peer-reviewed literature, regulatory texts, and case evidence from European, Asian, North American, and African contexts, the framework articulates four sequential decision gates—source qualification, hazard screening, lifecycle benchmarking, and regulatory horizon scanning—each operationalized through measurable indicators and proportionate due diligence thresholds. The discussion is situated within the empirical realities of African secondary materials economies, where informal recovery dominates feedstock availability, and within the institutional landscape of mature recycling systems, where extended producer responsibility schemes shape feedstock economics. The findings suggest that achieving substantive convergence between chemical-safety obligations and circularity targets requires multi-criteria governance instruments, transparent supply-chain traceability, and adaptive thresholds that accommodate jurisdictional heterogeneity without diluting protective intent. The framework offers a structured pathway for brand owners, converters, regulators, and waste-system operators navigating operational ambiguity in recyclate selection for packaging design.