Page 49 - Plastics News April 2025
P. 49
BUSINESS NEWS
and do not become contaminants. America and Europe, has driven virgin resin pric-
es to historically low levels.
Three decades ago, recyclability was often an
afterthought in packaging design. A product’s This price pressure creates a major hurdle for re-
appearance, marketing potential and shelf per- cycled content. PCR often costs more to produce
formance took precedence over its end-of-life than virgin resin, largely due to the infrastruc-
recyclability. Today, however, more companies ture, labor and processes involved in collecting,
understand that designing for recyclability is es- sorting and reprocessing materials. When virgin
sential to achieving their sustainability goals. plastic is sold at extremely low prices, it disin-
centivizes companies from using recycled ma-
We’ve seen growing interest in our training pro- terials, regardless of their stated sustainability
grams, and we estimate that about 30% of plas- commitments.
tics packaging today follows the APR Design
Guide. That’s progress, but it’s not enough. De- Compounding this issue is the need for reliable,
signing for recyclability is the first and most fun- high-quality PCR. This is where APR’s PCR Certi-
damental step in achieving a circular economy. fication Program plugs in to ensure that recycled
If a package isn’t designed to be recyclable, it content is truly post-consumer and meets strin-
doesn’t matter how efficient our collection, sort- gent quality standards. This program helps build
ing and processing systems are — it won’t get trust in PCR markets, giving companies the con-
recycled. fidence to invest in sustainable sourcing despite
fluctuating virgin resin prices.
In 2025, we expect to see more companies
adopting the APR Design Guide as they work to In 2025, the industry must work toward decou-
meet their sustainability goals and comply with pling PCR pricing from virgin resin costs. Policy
evolving regulatory requirements. We’ll also cel- interventions like minimum recycled content re-
ebrate companies leading the way through our quirements and tax incentives can help level the
inaugural APR Recycling Leadership Awards, playing field, ensuring that PCR materials remain
which will honor innovators who have demon- viable even when virgin resin prices drop. Glob-
strated leadership to advance design for recy- al oversupply of virgin plastic isn’t going away
clability, developed new recycling technology, overnight, but smart policy decisions combined
developed packaging to address recyclability with programs like APR’s PCR Certification can
challenges and increased their commitment to mitigate its impact.
the utilization of post-consumer resin.
3. Fallout for Walking Back Commitments
2. Too Much, Too Cheap
The year 2025 has long been a key target for
One of the most significant challenges we face in corporate sustainability commitments, particu-
the plastics recycling industry is the oversupply larly regarding the use of PCR content. Over the
of virgin plastic on a global scale. In recent years, past decade, dozens of brands have publicly
petrochemical companies have significantly ex- pledged to increase recycled content in their
panded their production capacity, saturating packaging, with many aiming to meet specific
markets with low-cost virgin resin. This influx, goals by 2025. However, as the deadline looms,
coupled with imported material entering North we’re seeing some companies retreat from
April 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 49
