US plastic bag manufacturers ahead of goals on incorporating recycled content

Firms are also on track for further goals – but how do they compare with other territories?

US plastic retail bag manufacturers are ahead of their target to incorporate on average of at least 10% recycled content in every plastic retail bag, according to the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance (ARPBA).

This, says the alliance, puts the nation in good standing to meet or exceed its 2023 and 2025 sustainability goals: recycled content thresholds of 15% and 20%, respectively.

Consumer education is key to improving recycling rates through a partnership with STINA, a research and technology firm that helps organisations and individuals prioritise sustainable use of resources and materials, says ARPBA.

“America’s plastic retail bag manufacturers are plastic bag recyclers. Their hard work to exceed these goals demonstrates that for ARPBA members, sustainability is more than just talk—it’s a core principle of the industry,”

ARPBA will provide financial support for STINA’s Film Drop-off Directory, a resource that helps consumers find participating retailers in the store recycling takeback program. The Directory, accessible at www.bagandfilmrecycling.org,  allows consumers to easily recycle plastic retail bags and other films at their local retailers.

“As a result of the ARPBA’s industry-wide Sustainability Commitment, the plastic retail bags that consumers across the country rely on every day have more recycled content in them,” said ARPBA Chairman Matthew Winokur. “We’re proud to support STINA’s innovative platform, which will make it easier for consumers to find where to recycle plastic retail bags and other plastic film through the store takeback program. Ultimately, consumers want to see more recycled content in products and it’s up to the industry to meet those expectations.”

Beyond mandating increasing levels of recycled content in plastic retail bags, ARPBA’s Sustainability Commitment also requires the industry to raise the combined recycling and reuse rate for plastic retail bags to 95%, a figure that the industry is also on track to achieve. Data and research from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Recyc-Quebec indicate that nearly nine in ten bags, or 90%, are either reused or recycled.

But how do the US targets stack up against other territories?

The UK Plastics Pact, led by sustainability charity WRAP, sets targets for UK pact members, which include goals for 30% average recycled content in plastic packaging, 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, compostable or recyclable, and 70% of plastic packaging to be recycled or composted, by the year 2025.

The UK government is also introducing a Plastic Packaging Tax in April 2022, which will charge manufacturers of plastic packaging at a rate of £200 per tonne, for items including certain types of plastics bags (carrier bags, bin liners and refuse sacks, food bags - such as sandwich bags - and nappy sacks). Reuseable ags for life are not subject to the tax, however.

There is also a European Plastics Pact, also led by WRAP, which sets out the same target for the use of recycled content in plastic packaging (30% on average by 2025). However, neither the UK or European goals are specific to plastic bags. The EU, like the UK, has also announced a plastic packaging levy for member countries, charged at €800 per tonne - however, implementation of the tax has stalled or been delayed in various countries. 

“America’s plastic retail bag manufacturers are plastic bag recyclers. Their hard work to exceed these goals demonstrates that for ARPBA members, sustainability is more than just talk—it’s a core principle of the industry,” said ARPBA Director Zachary Taylor.

“Supporting initiatives like the revitalized Film Drop-off Directory are critical to meeting our sustainability goals and should help better locate film recycling locations, ensuring they can recycle our members’ products and other plastic films easily and often.”