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Plastic Ingenuity is proud to announce our newest partnership as we strive to create a circular economy. As the newest member of the PET Recycling Coalition, we’re excited to work alongside a robust group of stakeholders driving improvements that transform PET plastic recycling opportunities. Through this collaboration, we will strive to achieve more than 60% recycling access for PET thermoforms by 2025.
While plastic packaging is significantly better for the environment than most alternatives, too many thermoformed plastics end up in a landfill when they do not have to. PET packaging specifically is generally considered highly recyclable, but the U.S. recycling system needs improvement to fully unlock circularity.
Our work in partnership with the PET Recycling Coalition seeks to drive advancements through enhanced infrastructure and action around PET recycling. The Coalition distributes grants that aim to improve recycling facility sorting technology and practices to better position the recycling system for PET.
COLLABORATIVE PET RECYCLING COALITION GOALS
1. Increase capture by 250M lbs./year by 2027
▪️ Boost the PET bottle recycling rate over 30%
▪️ Significantly reduce yield loss at reclaimers and unlock new supply of rPET
2. Achieve >60% access for PET thermoforms by 2025
▪️ Advance thermoform-to thermoform Recycling and other opportunities for separated recycling
▪️ Double the PET thermoform recycling rate by 2027 (from 2022 baseline)
3. Create resilient recycling in practice and at scale for pigmented/opaque PET by 2025
▪️ Strengthen robust end markets with pronounced environmental and economic benefits
▪️ Earn an improved designation from industry-accepted recyclability assessment programs
As packaging professionals passionate about developing more circular packaging, there’s a lot outside of our control, but we remain diligent in our efforts. As active members of targeted associations like the PET Recycling Coalition, The PP Recycling Coalition, PLASTICS Recycling Committee, Sustainable Packaging Coalition, and NAPCOR, to name a few, we’ll continue to dedicate the resources needed to collaborate, learn, grow, and succeed. We will continue to focus on the positives, utilizing solutions that are available today utilizing readily available technology and well-established best practices.
Increasing the circularity of all packaging types will require an unprecedented level of collaboration. The challenges we face as a packaging industry are too steep to face alone. We must work together to make the progress that is rightfully expected of us. We’re proud of the steps we have taken, but this is just the beginning.
However, we’re up for the challenge. Are you?
When you’re ready to discuss more, we’d love to connect you with our Sustainability Team to discuss the impact a circular approach could have your product – and the environment.
