Postconsumer recycled content (PCR) or responsibly sourced biobased content use is one of the critical paths to reduce the environmental impact of plastic products and achieve a circular economy in the plastics packaging industry. The U.S. Plastics Pact (U.S. Pact) abides by the ISO definition for PCR, which states that PCR is, &#;material generated by households or by commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product, which can no longer be used for its intended purpose. This includes returns of material from the distribution chain.&#;
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The U.S. Pact has voluntary PCR usage requirements for all its Activators based on their place in the plastics value chain, with the goal of creating momentum to reach Target 4 of the U.S. Plastics Pact Roadmap of an average of 30% (by weight) postconsumer recycled content in plastic packaging sold within the United States by . The U.S. Pact expects that Activators who already have a publicly stated general recycled content commitment specifically call out PCR commitments instead of or in addition to using the term &#;recycled content.&#; For U.S. Pact Activators who produce and distribute plastic packaging, such as consumer product goods companies (CPGs), retailers, and converters, we expect each to publicly state a commitment to a quantifiable target of PCR that is incorporated into their plastic packaging by . For Activators that are non-plastic packaging producers, such as government entities, nonprofit organizations, and recyclers, we expect that each Activator publish external statements on quantifiable internal PCR procurement. PCR internal procurement includes, but is not limited to, office supplies, trash bags, pallets or bins/totes, and trash and recycling bins. The U.S. Pact also encourages non-packaging Activators to have a public statement supporting the use of PCR to address PCR markets on a larger scale, closing this loop of the circular economy.
Post-industrial recycled (PIR) materials divert waste from the landfill and reduce the need for virgin plastic. The U.S. Pact, as a standard operating procedure, recommends that Activators utilize PIR in their products and procurements. The ISO definition for PIR is, &#;pre-consumer&#;a material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process. Excluded is reutilization of materials such as rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed with the same process that generated it.&#; However, the U.S. Pact does not allow PIR commitments or use to replace PCR commitments as part of the U.S. Pact&#;s four targets. The U.S. Pact recognizes that there is more work to be done to create markets for PCR than there is for PIR, and as such PCR commitments are the priority.
As Thong Guan progressively adopts the sustainability culture, we continue to engineer and innovate products with post-consumer recycled resins.
The post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin market is projected to reach USD 31,420 million by (from USD 30,070 million in ).
It is also expected to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 0.7% from thru .
With the growing trend of recycled resins market, we look into why PCR and explore the advantages and opportunities of using post-consumer recycled resins.
The ISCC Plus has clearly distinguished the differences between PCR and PIR resins.
Briefly, PCR plastic resins are
Every year, the global primary production of plastics amounts to a whopping 359 million tonnes.
The plastic waste itself, when improperly managed, is at risk of leakage to the environment every year&#;an estimated 8 million tonnes of plastics enter our ocean every year.
(Source: UNEP and GRID-Arendal, )
The production of plastics is expected to continue rising steadily.
This means more plastic waste.
That is why it matters to us that we address sustainability as everyone&#;s responsibility&#;because it takes more than just one party to make the recycling and circular economy work.
Plastic is undeniably one of the greatest inventions of the last century. Without plastics, many inventions became almost impossible.
Therefore, plastic is not the problem.
Poor plastic waste management is the issue, as indicated in the statistics below.
A considerable percentage of our plastics still end up in landfills where
(Source: The United States Environmental Protection Agency)
As such, we see more stakeholders&#;policymakers, governments, manufacturers, companies, and institutions jumping on the PCR resins bandwagon.
Of course, there are other reasons like crude oil prices, Covid-19 global pandemic effects on global production and demand, supply chain and market disruptions, financial impacts, and more.
Though sustainability is not the only reason. But holistically, it impacts the overall business ecosystem and global economy.
However, we want to take the perspective from your company as our customer.
Here are four reasons why using post-consumer recycled resins in your new products will help your company.
Using post-consumer recycled resins can lower your company&#;s carbon footprint (greenhouse gas/carbon gas emissions) compared to virgin resins in your new products.
For more Post Consumer Recycled Resininformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
Contrary to general perceptions, using post-consumer recycled resins in your new products versus virgin materials
According to the report published by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), it concludes that using post-consumer recycled resins in your new product reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to virgin material.
The study has taken into consideration the lifecycle impacts, which means
Here&#;s the concluded table showing all 84 categories investigated.
(source: https://plasticsrecycling.org/images/library/-APR-LCI-report.pdf)
Similarly, the recently published research by Oregon&#;s Department of Environmental Quality also highlighted that using recycled content has environmental benefits relative to virgin materials. (source: https://www.oregon.gov/deq/mm/production/Pages/Materials-Attributes.aspx)
The petrochemical market is volatile.
This means crude oil prices will continue to increase (as seen throughout most of ). As such, plastic resins price is subjected to surges constantly.
Fortunately, the cost of PCR resins is much more stable compared to virgin resins.
So, you don&#;t have to subject yourself to the volatility of the market.
Also, let us help you with &#;thin&#; gage films that also reduces the amount of virgin resins required in your films.
Thus, improving your total costs and return on investment as well.
Furthermore, under the law of supply and demand, more PCR resins adoption means marginalising the PCR resins cost in the long run.
At Thong Guan, we constantly preach about, &#;there is no such thing as wrong film, only inferior vs quality films.&#;
And achieving quality films means meeting the film requirements of our customers based on their needs&#;as we have detailed how we can achieve that in our #RecycledPlasticsSeries articles, comprehensively.
As such, we can proudly say you will still enjoy the benefits of all the functionalities of standard virgin-material films, while achieving your sustainability.
You may check out our latest NanoGreen high-quality machine film, or you can us at to ask about our recycled garbage bags for your next purchase.
Lastly, due to the demand for sustainability adoption, regulations favour recycled content packaging and products.
PCR resins are becoming increasingly regulatory friendly.
Therefore, with sustainable packaging on your inventory, you can meet environmental impact regulations post on your company by your local government.
Additionally, you can get the plastic tax exemption if you are shipping to the UK with plastics packaging that contain more than 30% recycled plastic.
This will take effect from 1 April onwards.
There are many more benefits of using post-consumer recycled resins packaging to add to the top four benefits we believe matter to your business.
For instance,
All the more reasons why we should focus more on post-consumer recycled resins.
If you are ready to get on board. Talk to our sales representative by emailing us at .
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