Sustainable Packaging: On Track for Big Growth

The final stage for a sustainable package is effective end-of-life management. While composting is one environmentally responsible way to manage used packaging, recycling is far more common. Some packaging materials, like corrugate, have a good recycling infrastructure and recovery rate. Plastics are another story. According to the EPA, Americans dispose of an estimated 29 billion pounds of plastic each year, and plastics account for 20 percent of U.S. landfill capacity. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used in soda bottles, can be easily recycled, but recovery rates have been less-than-stellar. Other resins like PVC utilize so many toxic additives that they cannot be effectively recycled.