Plastic and the Planet

Plastic is the environmentally responsible, recyclable choice. Plastic consumes fewer resources than other materials and results in lower greenhouse gas emissions. Innovators continue to develop new ways to make this material even more sustainable and recyclable, ensuring the preservation of our environment.

Recycling

Sustainability

Circularity

Bioplastics

Recycling

Plastic is an essential part of our daily lives and disposing of it properly is vital to protecting our environment.

The best place for used plastics to go is into the recycling stream, where they can be repurposed to their highest and best use. There are a variety of ways to recover the value of plastic through recycling, which is why the industry invests billions in the development of new recycling technology.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ADVANCED RECYCLING

Over 6 billion pounds

of plastic is recycled in America every year. ³

Over 40%

of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) was recycled in North America in 2023, marking a record high. ⁴

Over 20,000

retail and municipal locations across North America accept plastic film for recycling. ⁵

Packaging, water bottles, building materials, bike helmets…

and more can all be made from recycled plastic.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a top priority for nations and businesses worldwide and plastic is key to achieving those sustainability goals. In addition to requiring far less energy and fewer resources to manufacture than other materials do, plastic has many attributes that contribute to overall sustainability on a global scale.

Plastic helps farmers reduce food waste and resource usage, while making fresh produce more accessible to consumers.

Plastic allows for safe and sustainable construction infrastructure.

Plastics can be transformed into new fabrics, conserving natural materials and diverting plastic waste from landfills.

Circularity

Plastic is key to building a circular economy in which recyclable and reusable materials are not discarded but recovered and their value realized. In the case of plastic, increasingly sophisticated recycling techniques are producing purer and purer recycled plastics, increasing circularity and reducing the need for extracting new resources from the planet.

Global plastics circularity investments are surging.

From 2018 to 2023, global investments in plastics circularity totaled $190 billion and averaged $32 billion per year, with more than half invested in North America. ⁶

Expanding recycling facilities to support a circular economy.

Demand for recycled plastic content is increasing, which means that capacity for the recovery and processing of post-consumer plastic must also increase. More recycling facilities means keeping valuable materials in our circular economy and out of landfills. It also means more sustainability jobs that support that circular economy.

Investments in circularity through recycling infrastructure could create one million jobs by 2030.

The World Economic Forum sees the circular economy as a major job creator globally, with millions of positions anticipated as companies adopt more efficient resource use and recycling-based manufacturing. The UN Conference on Trade and Development echoes this potential, projecting that shifting to a circular economy worldwide could create substantial employment opportunities while also tackling key environmental issues. This approach focuses on keeping materials in use longer, which reduces waste and supports sustainable growth across industries.^1, ²

Bioplastics

Made from either biobased or fossil-based sources, durable and compostable bioplastics are high functioning materials with numerous sustainability attributes.