We can do better to recycle more: Our members are proving it 

Environmental stewardship and sustainability aren’t routinely spoken in the same breath as the plastics and chemicals industries in general circles. But as members of the Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council (PCIC) are proving, they should be.  Our industry is leading the charge with innovations in circular manufacturing, production, and advanced recycling to create a more sustainable, energy-efficient future.

The concept of recycling is a noble cause. The challenge is that around 10% of the plastics we throw in our recycling bins at home actually end up being recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, burned in incinerators, or worse. And in some instances, Pennsylvanians don’t have a viable option to recycle at all. However, the issue isn’t with plastics, it's how we manage plastic waste. We need to take a hard look at modernizing Pennsylvania’s recycling laws. 

The hard truth for many is that calls to ban all plastics are misguided and, frankly, not grounded in reality. Chemicals and plastics are indispensable to modern life. Chemistry is essential for nearly every medical and healthcare product we use, ranging from life-saving equipment and infection-protection materials to PPE, disinfectants and sanitizers, and pharmaceutical ingredients. Harnessing renewable energy sources, building more fuel-efficient cars, and designing energy-smart buildings, all rely on chemicals and plastics. It’s also necessary for food packaging and preservation, electronics, clothing, and much more.

We all depend upon plastics in our daily lives, but the challenge of plastic waste is growing. Long-proven advanced recycling technologies, which only recently became economically viable, transform plastics into base materials that can be used to create new products, fuels, and materials. This includes new advances to tackle hard-to-recycle plastics.  

In 2020, Pennsylvania passed advanced recycling legislation, which positioned the commonwealth as a leader among states in this burgeoning nationwide industry. This legislation is a great start and we are already seeing it yield positive results. In fact, many of our members are ahead of the curve in establishing aggressive goals to use recycled chemicals as inputs for making new products and we are starting to see announced investments in advanced recycling manufacturing facilities statewide.

While the bipartisan advanced recycling legislation was a foundational step, there is still more work to do. For instance, a lot has changed since 1988, when Pennsylvania’s recycling law, Act 101, was passed. It’s time for Pennsylvania’s leaders to take a hard look at modernizing how the Commonwealth and its municipalities are tackling recycling. This will be a challenge, but the alternative of continuing the status quo is no longer a viable option.

Our PCIC members prove each and every day that balancing environmental stewardship and economic growth through investment, technology, and innovation is not only possible, it’s happening. 

We look forward to working with Pennsylvania leaders to advance positive changes to increase recycling opportunities and tackle our plastic waste challenges.

Steven Kratz, President
Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council

 

Steve Kratz is a Bravo Group Senior Director and president of the Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council. With more than 15 years of political, government and advocacy campaign experience, Steve brings solutions to clients across industries, including Fortune 500 companies and trade associations, with a special focus on businesses in highly regulated industries. 

  • Advanced recycling, chemical manufacturing and the move to a circular economy will be hot button issues not just for the chemical, plastics and waste communities, and regulators, but for any company looking to reduce its carbon footprint and provide more sustainable product options for customers. We all depend upon plastics in our daily lives, but the challenge of plastic waste is growing. Long-proven advanced recycling technologies, which only recently became economically viable, transform plastics into base materials that can be used to create new products, fuels and materials. This includes new advances to tackle hard-to-recycle plastics. That’s the purest example of a circular economy, where all materials are reused and no waste is created. In 2019, Pennsylvania passed advanced recycling legislation, which positioned the commonwealth as a leader amongst states in this burgeoning nationwide industry. Set up Google alerts on this topic for sure.

 

  • Industry will continue to lead the way in investing in sustainable innovations to achieve net-zero emission goals. Advanced recycling is just a fraction of the action. Companies have set their own aggressive carbon goals that dovetail with their business plans and values, and they are diversifying their energy choices, reducing material and virgin resource use, and developing novel ways to produce sustainably. The key is to allow market and customer demand to be the leading factors for industry decisions on how and when to make these investments. Policymakers need to refrain from forcing ever-more stringent and unrealistic mandates, which only quashes innovation. It will be a continuing saga of innovators vs. regulators, and finding common ground to achieve mutually desired outcomes.

 

  • Pennsylvania’s divided government could provide a unique opportunity for developing truly bipartisan solutions. With a likely evenly divided or narrowly controlled House, a new administration and a Republican-controlled Senate, the ingredients are available to dish up a true bipartisan stew of legislation to move the Keystone State above the mire of today’s political climate. It’s a rare opportunity to effectively address the state’s infrastructure needs, emerging energy options and policies that let public and private sectors work together for progress. Do we have what it takes to sustain the new promise these changes bring, or will we quickly revert to partisan politics as usual? 

 

  • The pandemic brought increased attention to an issue that has been brewing for several decades: how to effectively move raw materials to manufacturers, and end products to consumers. Our modern world depends on efficient supply chains. Getting a gift delivered on Dec. 26 is annoying; not being able to get PPE, vaccines, respirators and pharmaceuticals can be a matter of life or death. From medical equipment, new vehicles, building materials, energy, pharmaceuticals and more, there is a renewed emphasis by industry and government leaders on shoring up supply chains and growing advanced manufacturing capacity in proximity to customers. Government leaders who effectively balance economic and tax incentives with regulatory policies that encourage economic investment and growth will be well positioned to capitalize on growing advanced manufacturing in their states. 

 

  • PFASPFOS and PFOA are “forever chemicals” that have become a primary focus for federal and state regulators across the country. While most manufacturers have phased out or are phasing out the use of these compounds in products such as nonstick cookware, waterproof cosmetics and firefighting foam, the characteristics of what made these chemicals effective have now become a challenge to manage and mitigate. As state and federal regulators tackle changes, industry environmental leads are frantically trying to keep up on compliance requirements, which vary in each state. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue new rules in 2023. Will they strike the proper balance to protect public and environmental health and safety, while establishing realistic expectations for industry compliance? One thing is certain: Regulating forever chemicals and environmental justice are going to dominate the regulatory space this year.

By Steve Kratz, President, Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council
January 2023

 

Environmental stewardship and sustainability aren’t routinely spoken in the same breath as the plastics and chemicals industries in general circles. But as members of the Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council are proving, our industry is leading the charge with innovations in circular manufacturing, production and advanced recycling to create a more sustainable, energy-efficient future.

With more than 30 years serving as the voice of chemical and related industries in the Keystone State, PCIC has supported the growth of the industry largely by highlighting the products our members make and the services they provide that are indispensable to our way of life. Plastics are essential to harnessing renewable energy sources, building more fuel-efficient cars, designing energy-smart buildings and even producing lighter running shoes. We also learned early in the pandemic how critical our industry is as the building block for nearly every medical and health care product we use, ranging from life-saving equipment and infection-protection materials to PPE, disinfectants and sanitizers, and more.

Keenly aware of their vital role in our everyday lives, PCIC members are leading the charge to advance new innovations with a focus on sustainability, circularity and establishing low- or no-carbon goals.

Here’s a glance at the innovations of a few of our members:

Encina Development Group aims to transform end-of-life plastics into their original base forms that can be used to make new plastics. With plans to build its first commercial-scale facility in Point Township, Pennsylvania, Encina is expected to divert upward of 450,000 metric tons of plastic waste materials from being landfilled, incinerated or ending up in our streets, rivers and oceans. It’s a welcome technology — up to 85% of our plastics aren’t recycled and 30 million rural and 15 million suburban households lack curbside recycling

3M launches about 1,000 new products every year and has long since met its goal of building sustainability into 100% of them through measures such as using renewable materials and reducing, eliminating or reformulating plastic packaging. Just a few examples of its products in this vein range from smog-reducing granules for roof shingles and recyclable padded mailers to retroreflective highway sign sheeting and wet-reflective pavement markings. 3M aims to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2050.

Covestro produces advanced polymers and high-performance plastics globally. Its many sustainability moves include making concrete floor coatings that are better for both the interior and exterior environment and that last three to four times longer than typical floor coating products; using bio-based raw materials as hardeners for automotive paints; and capturing and using carbon dioxide in raw materials that are used in mattresses, car interiors and sports flooring. Covestro hopes to hit net zero emissions from its own production and from purchased energy by 2035.

Other examples include LANXESS recycling polycarbonate water bottles to derive materials needed to make everyday items such as laptop covers. BASF has entered into two power agreements, totaling 250 megawatts, that will offset more than 20 manufacturing sites in the U.S. with solar and wind power. DOW is investing in partnerships to secure circular feedstocks derived from advanced recycling materials.

The list goes on. We are constantly sharing these great member stories but, hopefully, the message is clear: PCIC members are at the forefront of innovation and investment in new technologies to advance sustainability and a brighter environmental future.

Steve Kratz is a senior director at Bravo Group as well as president of the Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council. To read more about the council’s work, click here.

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