While post consumer recycled resin seems to be the leading option to accomplish packaging sustainability in the industry, there are several considerations to make when sourcing PCR material:
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There are four main plastics used in packaging: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Currently, high density polyethylene (HDPE) and PET recycling are more common than others. The infrastructure is built to support the collection of these materials and many CPGs lead initiatives to educate consumers to recycle. PP is readily recyclable but needs more infrastructure and education around the material. Finally, PS is also recyclable as it is extremely tolerant to “re-melting,” but its collection presents difficulties due to its form factor.
Certain plastics are like oil and water—they don’t mix well. The contamination caused by their mixing, or worse yet, the addition of other factors (such as food, dirt, or other contaminants) can render the resins very difficult to reuse. The makeup of the post consumer resins can be a big obstacle in the industry’s endeavor to achieve a truly circular economy, which is a critical piece for packaging sustainability.
In addition, based on your company’s performance requirements of the product, the mixing of the materials can lead to further complications in achieving goals. Almost 60% of European plastics converting companies find it “hard” or “very hard” to reuse plastic scrap due to contamination, according to a European Plastics Converters Association study.
Then how can you ensure 100% purity for packaging materials?
The first step is to establish a set of recycled material goals for your product. Then, you need to partner with your supplier to evaluate and understand their sources and supply chain. They must have the appropriate quality controls and tests in place to ensure the material supplied meets your product’s specifications.
Therefore, it is imperative that you have full visibility into your supplier ecosystem and a strong understanding of how the post-consumer recycled plastic was sourced, processed and produced.
Not every type of recycled resin works for every use case or complies with applicable regulations.
In the United States, the FDA has guidelines for the use of recycled plastics in food packaging. Specifically, they have three concerns that:
Europe has more stringent guidelines. Under a regulation set over a decade ago, only “food-contact materials and articles that contain recycled plastic obtained from an authorized recycling process” may be used in the EU.
It is very likely that in the future more industry standards will be developed, and perhaps also government regulation, to ensure the material really is what it should be. Brands once again can partner with governments worldwide to help shape regulation and drive post consumer recycled content forward.
Over the long term, this area will become more like medicine or food—when we go to a grocery or drug store, we hardly ever think about whether the medicine or food is “good” or “safe.” We rely on the system in the background which ensures that it is.
Finding a steady source of high-quality post consumer recycled plastic is a difficult endeavor today. Consumers are not yet recycling enough plastic waste worldwide—which drastically impacts the supply. The reasons vary from geographically different regulations to the additional cost customers must occasionally incur to recycle. Furthermore, while many understand the importance of recycling, many are also confused on how to properly do it.
With such high demand for recycled materials, brands and packaging integrators must treat the sourcing of these resins as a partnership with their supplier, rather than a transactional exchange. Unlike sourcing virgin material, brands, converters and suppliers must work as a team and make the proper investments to build a viable infrastructure. Sometimes, that means launching community initiatives.
PepsiCo, for example, recognizes the importance of bringing all stakeholders together. To support the development of packaging sustainability, they launched PepsiCo Recycling, an initiative to improve plastics recycling infrastructure and raise awareness on the issue worldwide. With their partnerships through the program, they’ve provided recycling access to 33 million households across 700 communities in the U.S. since , collecting more than 115 million pounds of plastic bottle and recyclables.
These types of partnerships and investments can help you reach your sustainable packaging goals while making a big difference for the environment. Watch Jabil's documentary: The Sustainable Packaging Revolution for a better understanding of how integrators like Jabil, KW Plastics and Danimer Scientific are bringing innovative packaging solutions to the market.
While long-term partnerships and investments into the larger ecosystem will help to ensure a steady supply of post-consumer recycled resins, end-of-life must be addressed at the very beginning with product design. As it stands currently, approximately 30 percent of plastic packaging will never be reused or recycled without fundamental redesign or innovation, according to the World Economic Forum.
The current recycling infrastructure needs an overhaul, but brands can design their packages to optimize recyclability while working within the boundaries of the current infrastructure. This can be accomplished in different ways, such as making components out of a single polymer family, tethering a cap to a bottle or by minimizing how the packaging is assembled so it can be easily separated when necessary.
Post consumer recycled (PCR) resin is the recycled product of waste created by consumers. Before the plastic waste is turned into resin, the plastic materials are gathered and sent through a proprietary process to produce plastic resin pellets.
For more Post-Consumer Plastic Reuseinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
Businesses that use PCR resins in their products enjoy countless benefits, including increased profits, cost savings, and improved brand image. Even so, there's still a significant amount of confusion surrounding PCR resins.
The following information addresses some of the most frequently asked questions about PCR resins, LDPE resins, and polyethylene PCR resins. Continue reading to learn more.
Virgin post-consumer resins such as LDPE resin and polyethylene were originally processed from fossil fuels and turned into plastics. When these PCR resins are reused and transformed into new products, new fossil fuels are not required, which has exponential environmental implications.
According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency, recycled plastics account for far less environmental impact than their virgin counterparts. As a matter of fact, many studies suggest recycled plastics contain over 25% less green house/carbon gas emissions than virgin resins.
The more PCR resins you include in your products, the higher impact you can make on saving the environment. If you're looking to see what reduction in greenhouse gasses your company can boast about, make sure to ask an expert at AAA Polymer about using PCR LDPE and PCR polyethylene resins.
In the past, the cost of post consumer resin has been a bit higher than new virgin resins. This can be attributed to the extensive cleaning, sorting, and processing required to recapture the recycled resins.
As the overall cost of petroleum-based raw materials continually increases — however — the cost of PCR resins are projected to stay the same. In addition, when more consumers recycle plastics, the law of supply and demand will keep PCR resins extremely attractive in comparison to virgin resins.
The most common complaints around PCR resins are occasional black flecks, grey/yellow tinting, and gels in the material. Even so, when used in the correct application such as ag films or trash bags, these minor defects do not affect the overall function of the product and are strictly cosmetic. While PCR resins may be subject to slight variations in color, this can be overcome by choosing a reliable provider.
In either case, an occasional cosmetic color variation is a small price to pay for the environmental impact of using these more eco-friendly products. When marketed properly, your customers may be willing to pay more for those imperfections — knowing your organization is making steps toward environmental sustainability.
As a matter of fact, they will. According to a Nielsen global online study, a surprising 51% of Baby Boomers between the ages of 50 and 64 and 72% of those aged between 15 and 20 — Generation Z— will pay more for products and services from companies committed to making a positive environmental impact. Simply put, your environmental investment can and will pay off as long as you properly market your efforts.
One of the surest ways for a manufacturer to know they're using 100% post consumer resins is by looking for the International Code Council (ICC) certification. This member-focused association has over 64,000 members who are dedicated to creating model codes for sustainable solutions. Recently, Trex Cardinal® and Trex Spartan® lines of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) pellets were certified by the ICC for being 100% post-consumer content material.
Trex LLDPE pellets are the ideal material for manufacturers looking to increase the cost efficiency of their products and increase the recycled content. These pellets are excellent for profile extrusion, molding, blown film applications, and in the production of plastic goods.
Other applications of Trex pellets include molded plastic recycling bins, trash bags, grocery carry out bags and speciality applications such as irrigation tubing. Trex LLDPE pellets allow manufacturers to promote a much more eco-friendly option to consumers and lower their overall materials cost.
In many instances, manufacturers rely on several different sources for plastic pellets. This typically results in widely varying product characteristics, such as the previously mentioned black specks and yellowing, and unpredictable quantities.
As an AAA Polymer partner, Trex is one of the nation's largest plastic recyclers. They're able to deliver consistent quality and the quantities manufacturers need at a significantly lower price. Best of all, you'll have the convenience of working with a single-source provider.
In August of , California became the first state in the U.S. to pass legislation imposing a state ban on single-use plastic bags at retail stores. This legislation - Proposition 67 - was approved by a resounding 53% of California voters.
These reusable plastic bags are required to have a minimum of 20% PCR material, which is set to increase to 40% by January 1, . The bags must be able to carry a minimum of 22 pounds for at least 125 uses for a distance of 175 feet. The bags must be at least 2.25 mils in thickness.
Whether you're looking to save money on manufacturing materials or looking to implement a closed loop recycling program, AAA Polymer can help. Since , we've been providing cutting-edge recycling programs and solutions to business owners throughout the United States. Best of all, you can find Trex LLDPE pellets and reliable PCR resins from many other leading recyclers in the nation.
Contact AAA Polymer today.