San Diego, California will host the 2026 Plastics Recycling Conference February 23-25, with a significant focus on the challenges and potential solutions for recycling film and flexible packaging, materials often excluded from traditional recycling programs.
Two industry groups this week released reports outlining strategies to improve the collection and recyclability of these materials. The US Plastics Pact unveiled a framework prioritizing reduction and reuse over recycling, while the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) emphasized the require for improved sorting and end markets.
The US Plastics Pact’s report asserts that developing viable end markets for recycled film is the most critical factor in achieving circularity. “Collecting more material without strong, reliable demand for recycled film risks simply shifting material without delivering real circular outcomes,” the Pact stated. The framework stresses that successful film collection strategies must be tailored to local conditions, considering community size, existing infrastructure, and local policies.
Crystal Bayliss, interim executive director of the Pact, explained that the report draws on expertise from municipalities, materials recovery facility (MRF) operators, brand owners, film suppliers, and recyclers. “By pairing that on-the-ground experience with insights from outside collection experts, we were able to clearly identify where the gaps are, and which solutions are most likely to operate in specific settings,” she said.
The AEPW report, “The Challenges and Solutions for Flexible Plastic Packaging Waste,” identifies five key components for improving film recycling in Europe and North America. These include utilizing digital watermarks and artificial intelligence for improved sorting, enabling demand through extended producer responsibility schemes and post-consumer recycled (PCR) content mandates, de-risking investment through policy incentives, establishing design-for-recyclability guidelines, and implementing eco-modulated extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees.
Jacob Duer, president and CEO of the AEPW, stated, “Solutions to improve the end-of-life management of plastic products already exist. Combined with industry action and regulatory momentum, there is a real opportunity to improve the rate and quality of flexible films recycling in an accelerated timeframe.” The AEPW, founded in 2019, includes companies such as Amcor, Dow, and Procter & Gamble, and recently shifted its focus to systemic change after completing numerous smaller projects.
The AEPW’s decision to prioritize film and flexible packaging followed consideration of medical plastics and electronic scrap, reflecting the material’s global status as a particularly challenging waste stream. The Plastics Recycling Conference in San Diego will feature sessions dedicated to film and flexible packaging, offering a forum for discussion on these emerging strategies and challenges.
The USFFI will also be attending the conference and hosting a luncheon on Tuesday, February 24 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM for organizations interested in learning more.