Researchers found that plastics can offer lower greenhouse gas emissions than substitutes in a number of use cases. | VanderWolf/Shutterstock
The severe impact of plastic ocean pollution has long been recognized, but research firm McKinsey wants to inject some of plastic’s climate benefits into the collective materials usage discussion.
Novolex reported an increase in weight of post-consumer recycled plastic used in the company’s products for 2021, though the number did not rise as a percentage of total resin used. | a_v_d/Shutterstock
Bag manufacturer Novolex increased the amount of PCR it bought in 2021, but PCR remained just 4% of overall plastic feedstock purchased.
Polypropylene rigid containers have been upgraded to “widely recycled” under the How2Recycle labeling protocol. | Colleen Michaels/Shutterstock
Two years after downgrading rigid polypropylene containers to “check locally,” a label system has returned the material to its previous status, determining at least 60% of the country has access to PP collection.
North American consumers will no longer see Sprite in green PET bottles as The Coca-Cola Co. works to increase bottle-to-bottle recycling. | Adnan Zain Kautsar/Shutterstock
To make recycling its bottles easier, Coca-Cola announced it will switch all of its green PET to clear PET in coming months.
News about Driscoll’s thermoform recycling efforts captured reader attention last month. | Courtesy of Driscoll’s
A berry brand’s thermoforming recycling efforts and other news drew our readers’ clicks last month.
Using 2014 data from the U.S. EPA, researchers examined GHG benefits of recycling. | Lawrence Glass/Shutterstock
A new life cycle assessment quantifies the impacts of different curbside collection scenarios, concluding that a typical single-stream recycling program reduces overall emissions by almost 40% when compared with simply landfilling the material.
Proposed regulations in Canada would limit the use of the chasing-arrows symbol among other provisions. | Alexander Sviridov/Shutterstock
The Canadian government will develop rules for recyclability and compostability labeling and establish a federal plastics registry for producers of plastic products.
Dow will make significant investments in both mechanical and chemical plastic recycling processes to pursue its sustainability goals. | Casimiro PT/Shutterstock
Dow has signed agreements to support a variety of recycling plant projects in the U.S. and Europe.
At Epsilyte’s Ohio facility the company is re-pelletizing used PS into expandable pellets for the safety helmet market. | Courtesy of Epsilyte
Insulative material producer Epsilyte is ramping up its capacity for recycling polystyrene with investments in its Ohio facility.