APR expands its Recycling Demand Champions program

Fourteen additional companies have committed to The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Recycling Demand Champions Campaign, a program that seeks to expand market demand for recycled resins and improve plastic recycling in North America. The new companies were announced during the 2019 Plastics Recycling Conference and Trade Show, which was March 11-13 outside of Washington.  

Additionally, the APR announced a partnership with the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) to further expand options for champion companies to increase their PCR usage through polystyrene (PS) applications. FPI sponsored the development of a list of PS PCR vendor companies that will be added to the current vendor listing on the APR website and supported the recruitment of new APR Recycling Demand Champion companies.

“We welcome the opportunity to partner with FPI to expand the options that Demand Champion companies have to achieve their commitment,” says Liz Bedard, director of the APR Rigid Plastic Recycling Program, in a news release announcing the program expansion. “APR Recycling Demand Champions commit to boost the current demand for PCR (postconsumer resin)—it is all about new demand.”

The campaign includes any and all new uses of PCR. This can be achieved through purchasing recycled-content-containing “work in process” (WIP) goods used in manufacturing facilities, developing a new application for PCR as well as an increase in PCR usage in a current application.

The new APR Recycling Demand Champions are:

• Envision, Reidsville, North Carolina;
• Plastipak/Clean Tech Inc., Plymouth, Michigan, and Dundee, Michigan;
• Annie’s Homegrown Inc., Berkley, California;
• Dow, Midland, Michigan;
• Dart Container Corp., Mason, Michigan;
• Fabri-Kal, Kalamazoo, Michigan;
• PakTech, Eugene, Oregon;
• Re-Play, Winter Park, Florida;
• Avery Dennison, Glendale, California;
• Colgate-Palmolive, New York City;
• Pactiv, Lake Forest, Illinois;
• Revolution Plastics, Madison, Wisconsin; and
• Coldkeepers, Thomasville, Georgia.

These companies join those that committed to the campaign in 2018: Berry Global, Keurig Green Mountain, The Procter & Gamble Co., Target Corp., Champion Polymer Recycling, Denton Plastics, Nestle, QRS, Unilever, ECO Products, Avangard innovative, UPM Raflatac, PAC Worldwide and Champion Polymer Recycling.

“Due to current market conditions, the critical need for an increase in demand has become glaringly apparent,” Bedard says. “Within 12 months of becoming a Demand Champion, those companies must purchase or manufacture PCR containing item(s) and report to APR.”

All data submitted to APR remains confidential but are aggregated and developed into a reporting tool that will be released in October of each year. The October 2018 APR Recycling Demand Champions Annual Report is available here.

“APR began recruiting companies to commit to the campaign in 2017,” says Steve Alexander, president and CEO of APR. “We are pleased that the number of companies continues to expand each year, and we look forward to working with them to expand the market for mixed residential plastics, increase the demand for postconsumer recycled resins and enhancing the plastics recycling industry.”