A judge determined the key issue was the availability of recycling programs, not whether bottles are made into new items. | Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock
If a bottled water label and cap are effectively unrecyclable, and if statistics show a majority of PET bottles are ultimately wasted, can the containers still be labeled as “100% recyclable”? A federal judge recently said yes.
Recovered plastic end users Unifi and Greystone Logistics reported on increased profits recently. | Warut Chinsai/Shutterstock
Greystone Logistics is installing shredding and pelletizing equipment so it can purchase more lower-cost scrap polyethylene, as opposed to recycled resin. And Unifi is opportunistically buying PET bottle bales while it works to pass feedstock cost increases on to buyers of its recycled polyester.
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.
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.
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.
PepsiCo will spend significant sums to procure recycled resin for use in consumer packaging. | PJiiiJane/Shutterstock
PepsiCo has borrowed another $1.25 billion through a “green bond,” generating more funds to buy large amounts of recycled PET for bottles.
The upcoming Indorama facility will have an annual capacity of 1.1 million tons of PET and 1.3 million tons of PTA. | StanislauV/shutterstock
After a delay of several years, construction of a vertically integrated PET plant in Texas with an annual capacity of several million tons is slated to start up again in August.
PepsiCo is increasing its use of 100% RPET bottles in several markets. | SunnyToys/Shutterstock
PepsiCo announced new objectives and shared its progress toward circular packaging targets in its 2021 environmental, social and governance report. Continue Reading
NOVA chemicals seeks to tackle hard-to-recycle plastics | xxlphoto/Shutterstock
NOVA Chemicals is planning a pilot-scale reactor for plastics pyrolysis in 2022, the latest recycling-related move from the resin manufacturer. Continue Reading
Keurig Dr Pepper’s recent sustainability report noted progress toward the company’s goal of 25% PCR use by 2025. | Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock
One of North America’s largest beverage brand owners greatly increased its use of recycled resins last year, mainly by rolling out 100% RPET bottles for specific brands.