The meeting was the first to work on drafting the text of the Global Plastics Treaty, which is intended to be a legally binding document addressing plastic pollution across the value chain. | Courtesy of UNEP
Mixed reactions followed the first meeting on a Global Plastics Treaty, with some complaints about “industry interference.”
Amcor’s 2022 sustainability report also noted that 74% of Amcor’s total production by weight is now designed to be recycled and it has made a 33% reduction in material sent to disposal over the past three years. | 360b/Shutterstock
After several years of gains in recycled content usage, Amcor is setting a new recycled content goal of 30% by 2030, tripling its previous target.
Although the majority of companies continued to decrease virgin plastic use, collective use of plastic packaging increased by 4.3% from 2020 to 2021. | Zety Akhzar/Shutterstock
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s latest report showed that major packaging companies doubled their collective PCR percentage from 2018 to 2021. However, pandemic-related commerce trends also helped accelerate virgin plastic consumption.
As of 2021 there were more than 40 companies working to develop or manage chemical recycling projects in the United States. | paul prescott/Shutterstock
Mechanical recycling should take priority over chemical recycling, but there will need to be several technical solutions to the world’s plastic problem, argued panelists on a recent Product Stewardship Institute webinar.
As part of its effort to harmonize legislation and industry practices, APR has urged the Federal Trade Commission to update its so-called “Green Guides.” | DCStockPhotography/Shutterstock
A federal bottle bill, more extended producer responsibility bills and pressure on single-use plastics are all in the future of plastics legislation, industry policy experts predicted.
Members of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) convened in Austin, Texas in early November. | Jill Smith/APR
The five finalists are Netherlands-based Blue Plastics, Austrian GAW Technologies and U.K. companies Impact Recycling, Mura Technology and Nextek. | Tiffy Studio/Shutterstock
Circular Solutions for Flexibles announced the five finalists in the running for its $3 million Alliance Prize for film recycling.
The managing editor of Plastics Recycling Update shines a light on the flawed conclusions reached in Greenpeace’s recent recyclability report. | Chones/Shutterstock
The director of Bantam Materials argues we need stricter standards across the supply chain to reduce ocean-bound plastics. | Rich Carey/Shutterstock
The Bureau of International Recycling says recycling companies in Europe and elsewhere are struggling with high energy prices. | Hanna Taniukevich/Shutterstock
An international group is sounding an alarm for help for the recycling industry amid high costs, particularly for energy. Continue Reading