This week, the U.S. Senate is confirming several key cabinet officials who will help shape energy and environmental policy for the second Trump Administration over the next four years. From the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to incoming Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, President Donald J. Trump has assembled a team of public servants with diverse backgrounds to tackle some of our most pressing challenges. America’s Plastic MakersSM are excited to get to work and help them reignite American manufacturing.
Today, the U.S. plastics industry supports over a half-million well-paying jobs and touches nearly every major manufacturing sector – from our national defense to critical healthcare devices. Even still, more must be done to bolster American plastics manufacturing.
The first step the new administration can take to marry American innovation with environmental stewardship is to support advanced recycling initiatives. Only about 10% of plastics used in the United States today are recycled. Advanced recycling is a promising solution that uses innovative technologies to break plastics down to their core components, which can then be transformed into new, virgin-quality products. is a promising solution that uses innovative technologies to break plastics down to their core components, which can then be transformed into new, virgin-quality products.
Technologies like advanced recycling show that our climate goals do not need to be sacrificed in the name of prosperity and innovation – rather, the two concepts can go hand in hand. Research shows that advanced recycling technologies generate products with reduced global warming potential and can reduce fossil energy usage by up to 97% when compared to landfilling.
In addition, prioritizing American innovation and manufacturing is not merely an economic imperative; it is a strategic necessity to safeguard our future prosperity, national security, and global competitiveness.
By allowing companies to innovate and create bold solutions to our recycling and waste challenges, the new administration can help chart a course toward a more secure and prosperous future for all Americans. We should own these technologies, make them here and export them to the rest of the world.
We look forward to working with the next administration to help develop policies that will prioritize American innovation and sustainability.
During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Zeldin shared his vision for harmonizing environmental stewardship and economic growth:
“We must do everything in our power to harness the greatness of American innovation with the greatness of American conservation and environmental stewardship.”
And we couldn’t agree more.
Ross Eisenberg
President
America’s Plastic Makers ®