Recycled-plastic consumer Unifi’s profitability increased substantially during the fourth quarter. | Elle Aon/Shutterstock
Two large manufacturers of recycled-plastic products – Unifi and Greystone Logistics – stayed on track late last year despite COVID-19 complications, financial filings show.
Eastman Chemical Co. announced it will invest $250 million over two years to build a methanolysis plant at its Kingsport, Tenn. facility. | William Griffith/Shutterstock
Eastman’s plastics sorting capabilities and complementary chemical recycling technologies will help it cost-effectively secure the ample feedstock supply needed for a huge methanolysis plant, the company’s CEO said.
COVID-19 and pricing pressure led companies to seek other supply lines for PET feedstock. | Pixel B/Shutterstock
A confluence of RPET market disruptions in 2020 included low prime plastic pricing and supply challenges that led end users to seek feedstock from other sources. Still, experts maintain a surge of RPET demand is fast approaching.
A research firm found that Loop’s process breaks down scrap PET into material streams that are pure enough to be used to make new PET. | noisuk Photo/Shutterstock
To counter accusations that its technology claims are bogus, Loop Industries has released the results of an independent review confirming its PET depolymerization process works.
Currently, PepsiCo uses 30% RPET across the EU. | pixinoo/Shutterstock
PepsiCo will use only post-consumer PET in its plastic beverage packaging for certain brands sold in nine European countries by 2022, the company announced this month.
Last year, 1.77 billion pounds of PET bottles were collected and sold to reclaimers. | Picsfive/Shutterstock
The U.S. PET bottle recycling rate declined by a percentage point to 27.9% in 2019, though the amount of RPET used to make new bottles increased.
A life-cycle analysis found that using recycled PET resin in place of virgin resin can lead to a 40% reduction in process and transportation energy. | GenViewFinder/Shutterstock
The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) says using recycled PET offers a 60% greenhouse gas reduction over virgin material, one of several recent findings the group added to its PET environmental impact resources.
The Yakima, Wash. facility uses recovered PET to produce thermoform packaging for produce. | Iurii N/Shutterstock
This story has been updated.
Sonoco is planning to shutter a West Coast thermoforming operation that uses recycled PET, with layoffs scheduled to start Dec. 20.
PepsiCo’s Naked juice brand is one the company is moving toward 100% RPET packaging. | Sheila Fitzgerald/Shutterstock
PepsiCo spent about $200 million of its “Green Bond” to purchase recycled PET plastic over the past few years, according to the company.
