Market Development Committee
Long-Term Working Groups
MRF Sub-Committee
The MRF Sub-committee represents an integral component of the plastics recycling marketplace. A core objective of this sub-committee is to ensure the MRF perspective is well-represented at APR, and to foster strong communication between MRFs and others in the plastics recycling industry. It also explores the relationships between packaging design, MRF sortation, and recycled plastics commodity market requirements through education and defined projects as identified. Sortation protocols and model bale specifications are reviewed in the MRF Sub-committee. Members include MRF, reclaimer, sortation, converter, and brand companies.
Chemical Recycling Research Working Group
The Chemical Recycling Research Working Group is focused on identifying how chemical recycling technologies potentially complement mechanical recycling to accelerate the circular economy, consistent with APR’s position. Specifically, the working group looks to educate recycling industry stakeholders in areas specific to APR’s mission and member expertise as pertains to chemical recycling. This potentially includes data and analyses around identified post-consumer material volumes, collection, aggregation, transport, material specifications, recycled markets, and package design. Recent projects include a report that models pyrolysis’ potential role in flexible film recycling. Chemical Recycling Research Working Group members include reclaimers, MRFs, converters, chemical recyclers, chemical companies, and APR Board member representatives.
Short-Term Working Groups
Recycling Demand Champions Working Group
Much has changed since APR first introduced the APR Recycling Demand Champions program to drive end-market demand for PCR and recognize companies for their increased use or purchase of PCR. This working group is updating the framework of the APR Demand Champions program to better reflect the current marketplace.
PCR Content Working Group
This group is reviewing potential product categories and post-consumer recycled (PCR) content rates to help inform APR staff discussions with state and federal regulators. Five states have passed mandatory content laws and more states are considering, either as stand-alone laws or as part of EPR requirements. Categories for PCR inclusion are expected to include both packaging and durable goods to expand states’ scope and support recycled market breadth. APR supports mandatory recycled content laws and this group will help us ensure that PCR requirements are well-considered and reflect APR members’ expertise.