America’s Plastic Makers Are Redesigning Plastic Packaging & Products for Recycling?
If we want to recycle more plastic, we must design for it.
Lightweight plastic is very efficient. Its use in packaging and products typically requires less material by weight and helps drive down greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) compared to many common alternatives.
But too often, it’s not readily recycled.
Importance of Designing for Recycling
Fortunately, many people and companies – including America’s Plastic Makers® – are working hard on redesigning packaging and products so they’re easier to recycle.
To help improve sustainability through increased recycling, America’s Plastic Makers are collaborating with other companies to rethink how products are made… emphasizing recyclability starting with the design phase. Designing for recycling helps us transition toward a circular economy, in which plastic is reused instead of discarded. Which helps drive down waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
Plastic Packaging/Products Redesigned for Recycling
How are America’s Plastic Makers redesigning packaging and products for recycling? Here are some examples:
NOTE: These examples are not exhaustive and are self-reported by the companies. Some info is specific to making plastic in the U.S and some applies to broader manufacturing operations.
LyondellBasell worked with an international cosmetic company to reduce the number of materials used in its packaging, which improves recyclability. For example, the tube and cap for one of the cosmetic company’s products have been redesigned to use only polyethylene, a material widely accepted by recyclers. The packaging has been identified as recycling-ready by recycler associations in both the U.S. and Europe. Bonus: The package is made with 93% recycled polyethylene content, helping close the loop on plastic recycling!
NOVA Chemicals is working with the supermarket Aldi to redesign its presently hard-to-recycle packaging – such as multi-material flexible packaging – into recyclable packaging. The companies are collaborating to develop mono-material packaging made from polyethylene, one of the most widely recycled plastics globally.
Dow helps its customers and brand owners redesign and create packaging that is recyclable, often by replacing multi-material packaging that is difficult to recycle with a single plastic. For example, Dow recently helped a company that sells granola transition from a multi-material packaging to a single material package to improve recyclability.
Covestro has created a demonstrator car headlamp made solely with polycarbonate-based materials. Compared with a typical car headlight system, this single material solution has fewer parts, which reduces the work of sorting and separating at the end of the headlamp’s useful life. The module was designed to weigh less and be much simpler to recycle.
America’s Plastic Makers are working with carmakers and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop a path toward auto “circularity,” in which car components are designed to be recycled or reused.
Berry Global worked with a large fast-food chain to redesign their drink cups from a non-recyclable cup to one that can be recycled. In addition, the new cups contain 20% recycled material made with advanced recycling technologies, supplied by LyondellBasell.
Making Sustainable Change
America’s Plastic Makers are making sustainable change by transitioning toward a circular economy for plastic. One important step in that transition is designing more and more packaging and products for recycling. By designing with the end in mind – recycling (or reuse) – we can improve sustainability and lighten the environmental footprint of these essential materials.
Redesigning plastic packaging and products for recycling is just one way America’s Plastic Makers are making sustainable change.
