The Association of Plastic Recyclers
What is the APR Design® Guide?

What is the APR
Design® Guide?

Determining a plastic package or item’s recyclability goes beyond whether a specific municipal program collects it, or whether it’s made from a particular plastic resin. APR’s Design Guide helps package designers measure each aspect of a package design against industry accepted criteria to ensure that it is truly recycling compatible.
What does

What does "recyclable"
mean to APR?

The APR Design® Guide addresses design features or components commonly used with plastic packaging applications. Recyclability categories consider the impact of design features on the value as feedstock of a package, the productivity of the reclaimers, and the quality of the final post-consumer resin (PCR) or finished product application.
APR Design® Recognition Program

APR Design® Recognition Program

APR has recognized over 30 companies for approximately 50 innovations that have collectively improved plastic recycling feedstocks. Every year new innovations are recognized, and most of these are now commercially available and widely used by converters and brands helping to create a circular economy for plastic packaging.
 

APR Design® Guidance

PET
HDPE
PVC
PE Film
PP
EPS
PS
PLA
  • Edward Socci, Ph. D.

    Testimonials

    “Plasticsrecycling.org is an extremely valuable site that I consult frequently throughout my work at PepsiCo. The APR Design® Guide provides trusted and comprehensive plastics packaging design guidance, helping ensure the quality and supply of critically important recycled plastics. It’s a tried and true resource that’s continuously updated and improved upon, and a key asset for PepsiCo when designing and testing packaging.”

    Edward Socci, Ph. D.
    R&D Director
    PepsiCo

  • Chris Max

    Testimonials

    “At Kraft Heinz our delicious products require a wide range of packaging needs. As we remain fully committed to our sustainability initiatives, we take APR Guidance very seriously. Whenever commercializing a new packaging format or understanding improvements required on existing packaging, the APR website is a resource my team & I use frequently.”

    Chris Max
    Sr Principal Engineer Packaging Sustainability
    KraftHeinz Company

  • Melissa Craig

    Testimonials

    “The APR Design Guide is a critical resource for our Packaging Engineers and Designers at Unilever. There is no other resource that is inclusive of all packaging components. We reference it frequently to make the right choices for recyclability as we strive to achieve our goal to make our plastic packaging 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. The Design Guide enables us to address recyclability challenges by working collaboratively with industry peers to get into the details and find solutions.”

    Melissa Craig
    Senior Manager, Packaging Sustainability North America
    Unilever

Have an Innovative Product?

Have an Innovative Product?

Have you created a new product, process or technology that enhances plastics recycling? APR Guidance Recognition identifies innovations that are technically compatible with recycling based on meeting APR test protocols.
Need Help with Your Packaging?

Need Help with Your Packaging?

APR TRAINING SESSIONS

APR offers several Training Program options tailored to your company’s unique needs. By meeting one-on-one with your design, sustainability and/or market teams, we can help your company design better packaging.

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