Page 45 - Plastics News February 2026
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BUSINESS NEWS
gies such as digital watermarking and AI- action across the system, including identifying
based recognition. clear end-market opportunities for recyclates. In
turn, this will make a viable business case for the
2. Enabling end-market demand for recycled investment necessary to evolve infrastructure
material to drive systems viability and jus- for collection, sorting, and recycling."
tify investment throughout the value chain.
This can be facilitated through policy mecha- Driving Change For Flexible Plastics
nisms such as Extended Producer Respon-
sibility (EPR) schemes and mandatory post- As it implements its Strategy 2030, the Alliance
consumer recycled (PCR) content targets. is focused on collaborating with governments,
development finance institutions, and other co-
3. De-risking investment to attract the capi- funding groups to launch large-scale integrated
tal necessary for infrastructure upgrades, programs in clearly defined geographies or the-
through policy levers such as corporation matic areas. The "Flexibles Thematic Program"
tax relief, labor and energy subsidies, and in Europe and North America seeks to improve
concessional loans. the circularity of flexible films through a three-
part approach:
4. Establishing design-for-recyclability guide-
lines to harmonize material choices and re- 1. Market mapping and system design that
duce complexity and barriers to recycling. quantifies end-market opportunities and
quality requirements.
5. Eco-modulated EPR fees to accelerate the
adoption of simpler packaging design by re- 2. Showcasing demonstration projects to build
warding packaging that is both recyclable confidence in systems solutions — key to
and cost-efficient to process. subsequent scaling and geographic expan-
Flexibles' circularity is complex, but achiev- sion.
able 3. Enabling replication by mobilizing brands, re-
cyclers, and governments to create and pro-
Jacob Duer, President and CEO at the Alliance liferate effective systems solutions across
said, "Delivering materials circularity for flexible geographies.
plastics is complex but achievable. Solutions to
improve the end-of-life management of plastic Meanwhile, elsewhere
products already exist. Combined with industry
action and regulatory momentum, there is a real In addition to the Flexibles Program, the Alliance
opportunity to improve the rate and quality of is also developing Country-Specific Programs
flexible films recycling in an accelerated time- in Brazil, Indonesia, India, South Africa, and in
frame. states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Country
Programs are intended to help countries move
"The Alliance to End Plastic Waste will focus on up the plastic recycling maturity curve in line
demonstrating solutions that deliver systems with national priorities
change. Driving this will require coordinated
Source - https://www.plasticstoday.com
February 2026 PLASTICS NEWS 45
