I've always understood "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" to be applied in that order. But commercial consumption propaganda of course emphasizes recycling and de-emphasizes reduction and reuse. Emphasizing recycling encourages guilt-free consumption which is good for profit.

See also, resin code marks which incorporate the recycling symbol, used on plastics which aren't recyclable: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin_identification_code#Tabl...