Innovation
Plastics Innovations Are Driving U.S. Sustainability and Competitiveness
America’s Plastic Makers® are transforming materials, products, and recycling— strengthening U.S. supply chains, creating jobs, and advancing a more sustainable, circular products, materials and processes.
Innovation in plastics is shaping America’s future. From recyclable materials and renewable feedstocks to lightweight cars, efficient buildings, and modern recycling technologies — each breakthrough supports a stronger economy, reduces emissions, and keeps the U.S. at the forefront of sustainable manufacturing.
Product Innovations: Powering Safer, Smarter, and More Sustainable Solutions
Plastics drive innovation across America’s most vital industries — improving safety, efficiency, and sustainability in cars, infrastructure, packaging, and renewable energy. These materials reduce weight and waste while cutting emissions and costs.
Industry Snapshots:
From airbags to EV batteries, plastics make vehicles safer, lighter, and more energy-efficient — advancing innovation across the supply chain.
Modern designs extend shelf life, reduce waste, and improve recyclability — keeping valuable materials in use.
Durable plastics in windows, pipes, and insulation strengthen homes, protect water, and modernize aging systems.
Plastic composites in wind blades, solar panels, and storage systems make clean energy more reliable and affordable.
Plastics enable smartphones, 5G, and semiconductors — powering America’s digital and national security infrastructure.
From prosthetics to syringes, plastics power life-saving innovations that improve patient care, enhance safety, and advance modern medicine
Recycling Innovations: Modernizing Recycling to Strengthen Manufacturing
Mechanical Recycling
AI-driven robotics and smart sensors boost efficiency and recovery.
Advanced Recycling
Converts plastics back to molecular building blocks to remake new, high-quality plastics — expanding what can be recycled.
Infrastructure & Data
Upgrading infrastructure with digital tools, and blockchain improve traceability and ensure recyclables flow efficiently into the circular economy.
Material Innovations: Designing Plastics with the Future in Mind
Plastics innovation begins with better materials. America’s Plastic Makers are rethinking design and composition to make plastics more sustainable without sacrificing performance.
Simplified materials, mono-material packaging, and recycling-friendly adhesives help keep more plastics in use.
Bio-Based & Renewable Feedstocks
We’re creating plastics from renewable sources, reducing dependence on fossil resources and supporting U.S. supply resilience.
Insights on Plastics Innovations
Stay current on how innovation is shaping the future of manufacturing, recycling, and sustainability.
Podcast
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Episode 60
The Hidden Life of Packaging
John Avolio, Value Chain Manager, Borouge InternationalIn this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn heads to Chicago and an experiential grocery store to explore how the food and packaging industries are making everyday products more recyclable. Mia sits down with John Avolio of Borouge International and Anita Budiman of Mars Snacking to unpack what really happens to the packaging in your grocery cart. They discuss increasing post-consumer recycled content in packaging, the challenge of recycling food grade plastics, and why an iconic soda brand quietly dropped its signature green bottle. John and Anita explain the science behind mono material design, share the surprising reason dogs and cats help test recycled packaging, and offer simple, practical ways anyone can recycle smarter. Plus, the fun stuff: road-trip snacks, impressive hobbies, and each guest's walkout song.
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Episode 59
Recycling at Red Rocks
Katie Zarachowicz, Sustainability Administrator, Denver Arts & VenuesHost Mia Quinn returns to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado — a venue she grew up visiting — to go behind the scenes of one of the most sustainable concert operations in the country. Mia sits down with Katie Zarachowicz, Sustainability Administrator for Denver Arts & Venues, to find out how Red Rocks consistently diverts 50% of its waste away from the landfill.
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Episode 58
How Salons Are Reducing Waste with SalonCentric’s Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson, Vice President – Sustainability, SalonCentricStep inside the beauty industry's sustainability journey and discover how salons, brands and consumers are working together to keep more materials in use and out of landfills.
America’s Innovation Story
Across the nation, America’s Plastic Makers are innovating products, materials and recycling to strengthen manufacturing and build a circular economy.
Meet the scientists, engineers and innovators rethinking how plastics are made, used and recycled.
