10 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 11/21 www.petpla.net Icis launches first interactive global database of chemical recycling projects Targets set by brand-owners and regulators have been contributing to a growing demand for recycled plastics globally, particularly for use in food and beverage packaging. However, supply of high-quality food grade recycled polymer material remains limited. To assist the industry in effectively securing supply of recycled resins suitable for these applications, Icis has announced the release of the Recycling Supply Tracker – Chemical which provides FMCGs, chemical producers, large converters and retailers with the most comprehensive view of the emerging chemical recycling market. Many industry players have public sustainability targets and need to understand the capacities in the market to ensure they can source the necessary materials to meet these. As of 2021, the global installed capacity for chemical recycling is under 2.5 mt, including both commercial and pre-commercial facilities with Asia Pacific and North America as the leading regions. The Icis Recycling Supply Tracker – Chemical will provide up to date data including installed capacity, output volume, process, and feedstock, as well as details about the licensor and investors. Chemical recycling processes can also be used to revert plastic waste back to an earlier molecular state. The tracker has identified that, in terms of capacity, only around 20% of the global recyclers currently produce polymers as an output of their chemical recycling facilities. The interactive database is updated with new projects and project developments as they happen, helping the industry understand the pace of growth in this sector. Less than 30% of projects are currently operating at commercial scale, but over half of the plants identified are expected to start-up in the next three years. Louise Boddy, Head of Commercial Strategy, Sustainability at Icis, said, “Plastic waste is one of the biggest issues facing society and the investment now going into the development of new technologies to deal with plastic waste could be a game changer in the prevention of environmental leakage of used plastic.” Boddy continued, “Efforts to bring more complex technology and greater scale to this industry are accelerating fast and Icis is detailing these developments with its new supply tracker, helping to foster partnerships and investments that improve circularity and prevent waste.” Available through Icis Digital, the tracker is the world’s only interactive database on global chemical recycling projects. Based on 18 years of leading recycled market expertise, with data sourced and maintained by a team of analysts with deep market knowledge and daily interactions with the marketplace, it offers the ability to filter, download and connect with suppliers. www.icis.com Napcor’s 2020 PET Recycling Report The National Association for PET Container Resources (Napcor) announced the release of its 2020 PET Recycling Report. Overall, the 26th annual report revealed a 10% increase in end use consumption of recycled PET (rPET) in the U.S. and Canada. According to the analysts, this increase signals strong support of post-consumer content in brand packaging, and demonstrates the resiliency of PET’s value in recycling-minded communities - even during a pandemic. Examining the use of rPET in specific end markets, the 2020 report positions the industry at a pivotal point where Food/Beverage and Non-Food/Beverage Bottle categories grew by 32 per cent in total, surpassing fibre for the first time as the largest end market user of post-consumer PET bottles. In addition, over the past decade, there has been a cumulative increase in rPET consumption in U.S. and Canadian markets, climbing from 1 billion pounds in 2010 to 1.8 billion pounds in 2020. Napcor’s analysis shows the higher market demand outpaced collection, which drove PET reclaimers to rely more heavily on imports, after depleting their existing inventory. While demand was strong, collection of PET bottles decreased by approximately 2.3%in the United States, which resulted in a 26.6% recycling rate for PET plastic bottles, a decrease from the 2019 rate of 27.9%. The decline in recycling rate is not surprising, given the challenges faced in 2020, including closure of redemption centres and disruption in kerbside recycling due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020 North American PET recycling rate is 33.9%, which incorporates statistics from Mexico and Canada, in addition to the U.S. This is a slight drop from the 35% reported in 2019. PET Thermoform Analysis New in the 2020 PET Recycling Report is an in-depth PET Thermoform Market Analysis including post-consumer collection volumes of these packages which surpassed 2019 numbers. “PET thermoforms have been a significant and growing end market over the years. By expanding our discussion and analysis of PET thermoforms, we have additional data points illustrating that thermoform-to-thermoform recycling is occurring,” stated Darrel Collier, Napcor Executive Director. “We have worked to better understand the challenges involved with recycling PET thermoforms, which still exist, and are encouraged with the work being done by our PET reclamation and thermoform industry to incorporate into packaging, thus, closing the loop.” Napcor continues to work to address the industry’s ongoing challenges, with particular focus on methods to increase the amount of PET that gets recycled. This is the 26th year that the PET Recycling Report has been issued. To purchase the full 2020 PET Recycling Report, visit Napcor’s website. www.napcor.com
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