APR announces newest Recycling Demand Champion companies

The campaign that is designed to expand market demand for recycled resins and improve plastic recycling in North America has announced new commitments during the June 2020 Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Member Meeting held virtually in light of the COVID-19 health crisis. Developed by the APR, Washington, The APR Recycling Demand Champions Campaign helps to drive investment in and increase the supply of postconsumer resin (PCR). The campaign is a companion to the recently launched Government Recycling Demand Champions Program.

Originally announced in October 2017 with 10 participating companies, that number grew to 20 companies in 2018 and resulted in more than 30 million pounds of new demand for PCR, APR reports in a news release. Currently, 40 companies are participating and will report their impact in October. The seven companies below are the first, to date, that will report their impact in 2021:

• Fraser Plastics;
• Fusion Packaging;
• Intertape Polymer Group;
• rPlanet Earth;
• Sabert;
• Silgan Dispensing; and
• Westfall Technik.

"We commend these companies for continuing and even expanding their commitment to plastics recycling during the current trying times,” comments Steve Alexander, APR president and CEO. “The pandemic, and our nation’s response to it, exacerbated and accelerated trends already happening in all industries. And recycling is no exception. For recycling to work, consumers start the chain by putting their recyclable products in the bin, and companies at the end of the chain buy and use that recycled material for new products. That end-of-chain demand drives the entire system.”  

The campaign includes any and all new volume PCR use. This can be achieved through purchasing “work in process” (WIP) goods that contain PCR for manufacturing facilities, developing a new application for PCR and increasing PCR use in a current application.

APR, in partnership with the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), recently expanded the scope of the campaign beyond the private sector to include government entities. APR hosted a webinar about this campaign in late May. Click here to access a recording of the session, as well as the presentation slides. 

“We look forward to the continued growth and expansion of this important campaign,” says Liz Bedard, director of the APR Olefins/Rigids Plastic Recycling Program. “Instead of allowing a crisis to force them to back off of sustainability goals, these companies exemplified a continued commitment to their prepandemic efforts. They recognize that a strong and effective recycling chain represents the best available environmental option to reduce greenhouse gases and other pollution, save energy and eliminate ocean plastics.”