US Plastics Pact launches postconsumer recycled content toolkit

The U.S. Plastics Pact, a consortium led by The Recycling Partnership, has launched its Postconsumer Recycled Content (PCR) Toolkit, a resource designed to educate the packaging industry on PCR.    

"The U.S. Plastics Pact’s PCR Toolkit gives the plastic packaging industry a succinct guide to incorporating PCR,” says Emily Tipaldo, executive director of the U.S. Plastics Pact. “Recycled plastics do not trade like other commodities, and navigating the dynamics of the market can be a challenge. The toolkit is meant for all within the U.S. plastic packaging industry to use. Enabling greater use of PCR is necessary for the development of a circular economy.” 

The organization says using PCR in plastic packaging is one crucial pathway to creating a circular economy for plastics, and the U.S. Pact published its PCR toolkit so that all plastic packaging companies have a guide to start incorporating it into their products.    

PCR in plastic packaging helps create a circular plastic system by reducing the need for virgin material and keeping plastic within the economy, the Pact says. This is why PCR is one of the focuses of the U.S. Pact’s targets; U.S. Plastics Pact Activators should achieve an average of 30 percent recycled content in their plastic packaging by 2025.    

In addition to moving the plastic industry toward circularity, the Pact says the environmental impacts of PCR are much lower than those of virgin plastics. For example, recycled polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene and polypropylene create an average of 70 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Association of Plastic Recyclers.   

The PCR Toolkit guides the plastic packaging industry to understand what PCR is, its environmental benefits and how to procure it. It includes information on current PCR legislation and federal requirements, procurement types, quality considerations and consumer perceptions, among other topics.   

The Pact says PCR procurement is complex. This tool aims to provide clarity so that more plastic packaging producers can incorporate it into their products.    

"It is critical for plastics recycling to be mature, vibrant and sustainable. Simply put, demand creates value and value drives recycling,” says Kara Pochiro, vice president of communications and public affairs for The Association of Plastic Recyclers, Washington. “This Toolkit provides a variety of helpful resources to guide procurement teams, including contract guidance."