APR Design® Guide Overview
The APR Design® Guide offers extensive design guidance and testing protocols, enabling you to assess every component of a package design based on widely accepted industry standards.
Over Thirty Years of Guidance
Since 1994, the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability has helped companies measure each aspect of a package design against industry-accepted criteria to ensure that it is truly recycling compatible. By minimizing contamination from the start, good design reduces costs throughout the recycling value chain and improves productivity. It also ensures high-quality post-consumer resin (PCR) that can reduce the need for new plastic. Cited by leading organizations like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the APR Design® Guide is widely recognized as the authority on how to design plastic packaging for recyclability in North America.
Introducing the Inaugural APR Recycling Leadership Awards!
Launched in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the APR Design® Guide, the inaugural APR Recycling Leadership Awards celebrate individuals and organizations whose outstanding achievements are improving plastics recyclability.
A Global Design Influence
Package producers and regulatory bodies worldwide rely on the APR Design® Guide to create recyclable packaging, and regions in Asia, Europe and Africa use it as a foundation for local guidance. In early 2023, APR signed a collaboration agreement with Europe’s leading recycling non-profit, RecyClass, to study the alignment of design for recycling criteria and testing protocols. While recycling systems within both the United States and the European Union are currently decentralized and fragmented, APR believes that alignment between the organizations will accelerate progress by removing barriers, clarifying uncertainties, and defining a common vision.
Important To Know Before You Start
Select the tabs below to review important definitions and standards for the APR Design® Guide.
APR Definition of Recyclable
The APR Design® Guide is an essential tool to design products for recyclability. However, design is not the only criteria required in order to be considered recyclable. A package is only recyclable if it satisfies all the below criteria:
- Design: The item is Designed for Recyclability per APR Design® Guide.
- Access: Consumers must have access to a collection system that accepts the item. Refer to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission “Green Guides” for additional constraints on unqualified claims.
- Acceptance: The item is explicitly or inexplicitly accepted within a collection system.
- Markets: The recycled resin must have market value, or be supported by a legislatively mandated program.
A Package Is A Compilation Of Design Features
The APR Design Guide allows users to assesses each design feature of a package. Design features that are commonly used with plastic packaging applications include:
- Base resin
- Color
- Size and dimensions
- Closures and dispensers
- Barrier Layers, coatings, and additives
- Labels, adhesives, and ink
- Attachments
Recyclability Categories for Design Features
The APR Design Guide provides the ability to assess the recyclability of each individual design feature of a package. APR has established four recyclability categories.
APR Design Preferred
Features readily accepted by MRFs and recyclers since the majority of the industry has the capability to identify, sort, and process a package exhibiting this feature with minimal, or no negative, effect on the productivity of the operation or final product quality.
Detrimental to Recycling
Features that present known technical challenges for the MRF or recycler’s yield, productivity or final product quality, but are grudgingly tolerated and accepted by the majority of MRFs and recyclers.
Renders Package Non-Recyclable
The majority of MRFs or reclaimers cannot remove these features to the degree required to generate a marketable end product, or the package cannot be captured at a majority of MRFs or reclaimers due to typical machinery settings or equipment capabilities.
Requires Testing
In order to determine a recyclability category, testing per an APR testing protocol is required.
Recyclability Categories for Whole Package
To assess if a whole package is designed for recyclability, the individual assessments of all the design features must be added up and then categorized into one of four whole package recyclability categories. See the next tab for more details on how to assess a whole package.
Preferred Design for Recycling
A full package that contains all preferred design features.
Tolerated But Needs Improvement
A full package that contains any detrimental design feature but does not contain any other features that render the package non-recyclable or require testing.
Non-Recyclable
A full package that contains ANY design feature that renders the package non-recyclable.
Unknown
The recyclability of a full package that contains any design feature that requires testing, provided that the package does not have other design features that are known to be detrimental to recycling or that render the package non-recyclable.
Design Features Drive Whole Package Assessments
Design features are classified according to the APR Recyclability Categories or test results where testing is required. All features of package design must be accounted for to understand how a whole package will perform in the recycling system. The APR Design Guide addresses design features individually so that users can assess whole packages.
Why is APR Preferred Design Important?
In a circular economy, consumer product companies are their own material suppliers.
Companies benefit when their packaging is not only recyclable, but also yields high quality post-consumer resin (PCR). This is why APR distinguishes between Preferred and Detrimental features.
Companies whose packaging contains Detrimental features are reducing and lowering the quality of their own future supply of PCR. Improving features so that the entire packaging achieves Preferred Design for Recycling supports a healthy recycling system and increases PCR supply.
How To Use the APR Design® Guide
Need a Customized Training Session?
If you’re looking for more guidance on how to use the new digital tool, watch a recording of our webinar, or register for a customized virtual training session.
What Happens After the APR Design® Guide?
After assessing a design feature or set of design features, learn what action to take based on your recyclability category.
APR Preferred Design
Congratulations! You have picked the most optimal design feature(s) for recycling. Consider obtaining APR Recognition for your component.
Detrimental to Recycling
Consider using a design feature option that is listed as APR Design Preferred or use our APR Directory of Recognized Components to find commercially available options that have already received APR Recognition.
Renders Package Non-Recyclable
Consider using a design feature option that is listed as APR Design Preferred or use our APR Directory of Recognized Components to find commercially available options that have already received APR Recognition.
Requires Testing
Obtain testing for your component based on APR Testing Protocols or use our APR Directory of Recognized Components to find commercially available options that have already received APR Recognition.
APR Testing Protocols
Understanding the impact of a packaging design feature in the recycling stream is imperative to maintaining and improving the recycling process. To support packaging manufacturers, designers, brands and retailers, APR has developed a suite of laboratory test protocols that can be used to assess the impact of a plastic design feature or component on recycling. APR test protocols combine laboratory practices and measurements developed specifically by and for plastic recyclers with standard ASTM tests. The objective of testing is to determine the impact of a design feature on the processability of a package item as well as the ability of post-consumer resin (PCR) derived from such feedstocks to meet quality specifications for end-use applications.
