Package producers worldwide rely on the APR Design® Guide and the APR Global Design Catalog to create recyclable packaging. Recycling infrastructure, packaging trends, culture, and attitudes toward resource management vary regionally, even within each country. However, the principles of recyclable package design are universal.

Our vision is a world where recycling is easy – where every citizen, regardless of nationality, can recycle plastic packaging with confidence. Standardization in package design will also simplify supply chains, prevent waste, and reduce global reliance on fossil feedstocks.

APR members primarily represent North American markets. We collaborate with our counterparts around the globe to foster alignment between package designers and recyclers.

In early 2023, APR and Europe’s leading recycling non-profit, RecyClass, signed a collaboration agreement to study the alignment of our design for recycling criteria and testing protocols. While recycling systems within both the United States and the European Union are currently decentralized and fragmented, we believe that alignment with one another will accelerate progress within by removing barriers, clarifying uncertainties, and defining a common vision.