Industry Announcements

July 2019

Chemical recycling company Agilyx appointed Paolo Cuniberti to its board of directors. Cuniberti is founder and CEO of Habacus, an Italian company that connects students with financial resources.

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) developed a bulletin to inform recycling stakeholders about recyclable packaging in the marketplace and packaging recyclability changes.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation launched a learning hub.

Petcore Europe created the PET Monomer Recycling Special Industry Group.

RecyClass, a recyclability testing initiative of Plastics Recyclers Europe, released a Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for HDPE containers.

Agilyx, INEOS Styrolution and Trinseo will collaborate to launch a PS chemical recycling operation in Europe. 

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has a dozen new members: EQUATE Petrochemical, Gemini Corporation, Grupo Phoenix, Mondi, Novolex, PepsiCo, Sealed Air Corporation, Sinopec, SKC, Storopack, TOMRA and Westlake Chemical.

Coca-Cola Japan announced a goal to increase its use of RPET in beverage containers to 50% by 2022 and 90% by 2030, up from the company’s current 17%.

Canadian plastics reclaimer Enviroplast will develop a processing facility in Vaughan, Ontario, with an estimated capacity of 24 million pounds per year. 

The Foundation for Plastic Recycling, an initiative of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), launched as an industry improvement organization focusing on research and investment.

Plastics producer NOVA Chemicals released its 2018 sustainability report, which touched on a number of recycling-related efforts.

Anchor Packaging, which uses RPET in some of its products, was acquired by the Jordan Co., a private equity firm.

Barco Uniforms, which produces healthcare apparel, announced it has used the equivalent of 16.8 million recycled plastic bottles as feedstock for two of its scrubs lines.

Berry Global signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. 

Bottled water producer Evian introduced 100% recycled plastic water bottles at the Wimbledon tennis championships this year.

GreenMantra Technologies elected Donald Wiseman and Adam Shepherd to its board of directors. 

Niagara Bottling, a private-label bottled water company, joined the How2Recycle recyclability labeling program.

The NYC Curb-To-Market Challenge (CTMC), which launched in March, named recovered plastics end user Arqlite and consultancy Anthropocene.Design as the winners of the contest.

PepsiCo will package its LIFEWTR water product in 100% recycled PET bottles, and the company will end plastic bottle packaging for its Bubly sparkling water, sticking to aluminum cans. The company will also test aluminum can packaging for Aquafina, which currently comes in plastic bottles.

Recycling and packaging firm Plastipak invested in a chemical recycling project with Italian company Garbo.

The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) announced Paul Booth, a longtime chemical industry executive, as its next president.

June 2019

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) hired Christopher Jahn as the organization’s next president and CEO. Jahn is currently head of the Fertilizer Institute. The ACC has also voiced its support for the federal Save Our Seas Act 2.0, which has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) announced its 2019-2020 board of directors. 

Carbios, a French company involved in chemical recycling technologies, is looking to finance an additional 13 million euros, most of which will be used for an industrial PET “biorecycling demonstration plant.”

Nestlé Waters North America joined a National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) program that provides grants, recycling bins and thousands of bottles of water to PTAs across the country.

Unifi will upgrade its texturing machines, which are used to manufacture the company’s Repreve brand of textiles made from recycled plastic.

Foodservice packaging manufacturer Eco-Products increased its use of post-consumer recycled plastic and joined the Association of Plastic Recyclers’ (APR) Recycling Demand Champion program.

P&G and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee announced that the podiums used to present medals during the Olympics will be made from post-consumer recycled materials, including plastic packaging.

Styrenics Circular Solutions (SCS), an industry initiative involved in polystyrene depolymerization, welcomed energy company Repsol as a new member.

Tomra Sorting Recycling held its third-annual global conference in Sofia, Bulgaria this month, with a theme of “Recycling in a Plastic World.”

Plastics producer Braskem received the American Chemistry Council’s 2019 Sustainability Leadership Award for Environmental Protection and Circularity.

ByFusion, which manufactures building materials from recycled plastic, observed World Oceans Day by constructing a lifeguard tower using blocks made from recycled mixed plastics.

Corona recognized World Oceans Day, observed June 8, by accepting scrap plastic from cities and coastal environments as payment for beer.

A dozen environmental organizations called on the Canadian government to take regulatory action addressing plastic waste and pollution.

Food packaging event MeetingPack 2019 featured several products with high recycled content and sustainable barrier options.

Bag and packaging producer Novolex, which has film recycling operations, expanded its public affairs and sustainability teams.

Ocean plastics advocacy group Parley for the Oceans and the New York City Department of Sanitation’s nonprofit foundation arm are collaborating on a project to recycle marine debris into reusable bags.

Reusable bag supplier ReusethisBag.com published a report charting the state of single-use plastic bag bans in the U.S. and around the globe.

America Packaging Corporation expanded its line of recyclable laminated film packaging, making it available for use in additional products.

Manufacturing firm ByFusion demonstrated a building material made from a variety of hard-to-recycle plastics, including Nos. 3-7 and end-of-life surfboard foam.

Coca-Cola Australia plans to use recycled plastic in 70% of its bottles by the end of 2019, a target the company says will reduce virgin resin use by 10,000 metric tons per year.

Maryland’s bill banning foam polystyrene foodservice items will become law without Gov. Larry Hogan’s signature.

May 2019

The Foam Recycling Coalition gave a $9,700 grant to purchase a densifier, allowing for foam polystyrene recycling in the Ontario municipalities of Brockton and Hanover.

The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and Break Free From Plastic urged Southeast Asian governments to strictly enforce waste import bans.

The Maryland legislature passed a bill, HB0109, banning foam polystyrene food service products.

Mexican PET reclaimer PetStar’s Reborn food-grade post-consumer PET achieved Cradle to Cradle certification, Plastics News reported.

R&M International was presented the President’s “E” Award for Exports by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The company trades in textiles, plastics and recovered materials.

Worn Again Technologies, a U.K. company commercializing a chemical recycling process for recovering polyester and cellulose from textiles, announced that the following companies have joined its Pioneer Members’ program: ASICS Europe, Dhana, Dibella, Directex, H&M, Himes, Kering and Sympatex.

Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, a composite decking business that uses recovered PE film as feedstock, changed its name to MoistureShield.

Plastics-to-fuel operation Brightmark Energy broke ground on its first commercial-scale facility in Ashley, Ind., after receiving financing for the $260 million plant last month.

Herbal Essences, a Procter & Gamble brand, partnered with TerraCycle to start a recycling program for its hair care product packaging.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) opened its Superfund Recycling Equity Act (SREA) Reasonable Care Compliance Program to nonmembers. The program helps recycling companies navigate Superfund law.

Recycled composite railway products maker IntegriCo hired Brian Gaughan as executive vice president of business development. Gaughan was formerly general manager of the Georgia-Pacific Plastics Division.

MBA Polymers UK acquired post-industrial automotive plastics recycling company PPR Wipag, based in Dover, U.K.

The Chemical Recycling Alliance, an initiative of the American Chemistry Council, welcomed Golden Renewable Energy, New Hope Energy and Sealed Air Corporation as members.

Indorama Ventures launched a 100% recycled PET brand called DEJA, available in flake, pellet, fiber and filament form.

Tomra announced that its reverse vending machines collected more than 40 billion bottles and cans globally in 2018.

The American Chemistry Council praised the Texas Legislature for passing a bill that will promote chemical recycling.

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) announced a “Five for Focus” campaign that brings attention to five elements of PET container design that can be problematic for recycling. The work encourages stakeholders to leverage the PET section of the APR Design Guide.

Avangard Innovative CEO Rick Perez was recognized by Real Leaders Media, which featured Perez on a list of “Immigrants That Helped Change The World.” Perez was born in Mexico.

Reclaimer GreenMantra and virgin plastics producer INEOS Styrolution signed a joint development agreement.

Mumford Industries expanded its post-industrial scrap plastic processing capacity and upgraded its equipment.

The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) relocated its headquarters to Charlotte, N.C.

Plastics Recyclers Europe reported that Europe has a total rigid HDPE and PP recycling capacity of more than 1.8 million short tons per year.

AmSty and Agilyx formed a joint venture that will use Agilyx technology to convert scrap PS into styrene monomer, which will be used by AmSty to make new PS.

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) announced an expansion to the APR Design Guide for Plastics Recyclability to include several new PET screening tests and an updated inventory of PET test protocols.

Azek Building Products opened a $25 million recycling plant in Wilmington, Ohio, with a capacity of 100 million pounds of PE per year.

Digimarc, a company aiming to put barcodes on packaging so it can be more accurately sorted for recycling, joined the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.

Monitoring Recyclates for Europe (MORE) launched as a digital platform to help European converters track recycled plastic use.

Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe joined a consortium formed by Carbios and L’Oréal to support Carbios’ enzymatic PET depolymerization technology.

April 2019

The American Chemistry Council rebranded its Plastics-to-Fuel & Petrochemistry Alliance to the Chemical Recycling Alliance.

Adidas released Futurecraft.Loop, a recyclable single-material running shoe that can be returned to the manufacturer, where it will be recycled into new shoes.

Canadian ag plastics stewardship organization Cleanfarms celebrated 30 years of recycling small plastic jugs in Canada.

LyondellBasell and Samsonite created a suitcase made from post-consumer recycled polypropylene processed by Quality Circular Polymers, which LyondellBasell and Suez acquired last year.

Investment bank Morgan Stanley announced the Morgan Stanley Plastic Waste Resolution.

Nestlé Waters North America released Poland Spring ORIGIN, a new water product that comes in 100 percent recycled PET bottles.

Ralph Lauren introduced the Earth Polo, a shirt made from 100 percent recycled PET bottles.  

PLANIC, a joint-venture company that describes itself as the largest recycled plastics processing company in Japan, was established by Toyota Tsusho, Veolia Japan and Kojima Sangyo.

Closed Loop Partners hired Caroline Brown as a managing director to lead the investment firm’s work in the fashion sustainability sector.

Ensign Group, a Holland, Mich.-based recycling equipment manufacturer, has been acquired by Excalibur Group.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) passed its first transportation policy.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order banning city government from purchasing single-use plastics items.

PAC NEXT released the “Who’s Who of Zero Plastic Waste Initiatives Report.”

The Plastics Recycling Awards Europe winners have been announced.

Unilever announced several recycling-related initiatives, including that it will reach 50 percent recycled content in plastic packaging by the end of 2019 and will add the How2Recycle label to all its packaging by 2021. Separately, Unilever’s Hellmann’s brand of mayonnaise products released recycled-content goals.

U.K. startup Waterhaul launched a line of sunglasses made from recovered fishing nets.

Grocery chain Aldi pledged that the company will use 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.

Budweiser created a soccer field made from 50,000 recycled plastic cups. The facility, called the Budweiser ReCup Arena, is located in Sochi, Russia.

Dow and Keep America Beautiful are accepting applications for a total of $125,000 in Hefty EnergyBag program grants.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries named Nestlé Waters North America as its 2019 Design for Recycling Award winner. The honor was earned specifically for the design of the Nestlé Pure Life 700 milliliter bottle made from 100 percent recycled PET.

The city of Phoenix selected Renewlogy and Generated Materials Recovery to develop an energy recovery program for the city’s mixed plastics. The companies will partner under the name Renew Phoenix.

The Recycling Partnership (TRP) hired Sarah Dearman, formerly of The Coca-Cola Co., to work on TRP’s policy efforts. Additionally, TRP partnered with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and consumer products company Love Beauty and Planet to expand curbside recycling in Nashville, Tenn.

Renew ELP received first place in the 2019 FlexPack Recovery Challenge, an initiative hosted by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and the Center for the Circular Economy, a division of Closed Loop Partners.

Clearly Clean Products, a manufacturer of food trays that incorporate post-industrial PET, is developing an 80,000-square-foot thermoforming plant in Frackville, Pa.

Plastics recycling equipment company EREMA Group reported its most successful year of business in the company’s history, describing a 16 percent revenue increase.

The Foam Recycling Coalition awarded a $41,000 grant for Live Thrive Atlanta to expand its Center for Hard to Recycle Materials, which will purchase a foam densifier to increase its expanded polystyrene recycling efforts.

PAC Next published its Packaging Sustainability Checklist, a tool for packaging designers to reference.