North American rPET uptake grows as COVID-19 forces recycling decline, report finds

15 Nov 2021 --- The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) has revealed a 10% increase in recycled PET (rPET) end-use consumption in the US and Canada in 2020. However, the North American PET recycling rate, including Mexico, has dropped from 35% in 2019 to 33.9% in 2020, largely due to COVID-19 disruptions. 

The results were published in NAPCOR’s 2020 PET Recycling Report – the association’s 26th annual report.

Examining the use of rPET in specific end markets, the 2020 Report positions the industry at “a pivotal point,” with the Food/Beverage and Non-Food/Beverage Bottle categories growing by 32%, surpassing fiber for the first time as the largest end market user of post-consumer PET bottles.

The association indicates this increase signals “strong support” for post-consumer content in brand packaging and demonstrates the “resiliency of PET’s value in recycling-minded communities – even during a pandemic.”

Red hot recycled PET
Moreover, there has been a cumulative increase in rPET consumption in US and Canadian markets over the past decade, climbing from 1 billion pounds in 2010 to 1.8 billion pounds in 2020.

“This continued increase of post-consumer rPET usage in bottles and jars is encouraging and points to a commitment toward a circular economy by brand owners,” comments Tom Busard, NAPCOR chairman, CPO for Plastipak Packaging, and president of Clean Tech, Plastipak’s recycling affiliate.The Food/Beverage and Non-Food/Beverage Bottle categories are now the biggest end market user of rPET bottles.

According to Innova Market Insights, over half (53%) of US consumers believe plastic offers good (29%) or excellent (24%) recyclability.

Similarly, a majority of Mexican consumers (60%) believe plastic provides good (32%) or excellent (28%) recyclability.

Demand outstripping supply
NAPCOR’s analysis shows the higher market demand outpaced collection, driving PET reclaimers to rely more heavily on imports after depleting their existing inventory.

Ahead of America Recycles Week, the Consumer Brands Association published a new report illustrating how standardized recycling definitions could be the gateway to fixing America’s “broken” waste management system.

While demand for rPET was strong, PET bottle collection decreased by approximately 2.3% in the US, resulting in a 26.6% recycling rate for PET plastic bottles, decreasing from 27.9% in 2019.

The short supply of rPET has also caused concerns in South America and Europe.

COVID-19 hinders recycling
NAPCOR argues the decline in recycling rate is not surprising, given the challenges faced in 2020, including the closure of redemption centers and disruption in curbside recycling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 North American PET recycling rate is 33.9%, incorporating statistics from the US, Canada and Mexico. This result represents a slight drop from the 35% reported in 2019.The 2020 North American PET recycling rate was found to be 33.9%.

According to Innova Market Insights, US (55%) and Mexican (62%) consumers see consumer behavior as a significant contributor to the plastic pollution crisis, followed by packaging suppliers (45%) in the US and government/regulatory bodies (50%) in Mexico.

PET thermoform growth
New in the 2020 PET Recycling Report is an in-depth PET Thermoform Market Analysis, including the post-consumer collection volumes of these packages, which surpassed 2019 numbers.

“PET thermoforms have been a significant and growing end market over the years. By expanding our discussion and analysis of PET thermoforms, we have additional data points illustrating thermoform-to-thermoform recycling is occurring,” notes Darrel Collier, NAPCOR executive director.

“We have worked to better understand the challenges involved with recycling PET thermoforms, which still exist, and are encouraged with the work being done by our PET reclamation and thermoform industry to incorporate into packaging, thus, ‘closing the loop.’”

NAPCOR continues to work to address the industry’s ongoing challenges, with a particular focus on methods to increase the amount of PET getting recycled.

By Joshua Poole

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