Dive Brief:
- A new coalition of major brands says it will offer funding to MRFs and other recyclers to launch film and flexible plastic packaging recycling initiatives in California. The nonprofit US Flexible Film Initiative wants to scale recycling systems and reliable markets for the material as the state implements its extended producer responsibility program under SB 54.
- The group will issue a request for information to MRFs, processors and other recyclers interested in receiving “operational funding” for sorting flexible packaging or processing the bales into new products. The initiative is expected to offer multiyear contracts, but USFFI has not yet released a timeline for the RFI process.
- General Mills, Mars, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, Hill’s Pet Nutrition and PepsiCo are among the founding coalition members. USFFI plans to eventually expand the program to other states with EPR for packaging programs.
Dive Insight:
Producers are under pressure to demonstrate reliable, replicable models for recycling film and flexible plastic packaging in California as the state moves forward with implementing specific aspects of SB 54.
SB 54 calls for all single-use packaging and plastic food ware to be 100% recyclable or compostable by 2032. It also calls for packaging to reach a 30% recycling rate by 2028, increasing to 65% by 2032.
CalRecycle does not currently consider film and flexible plastic to be recyclable under SB 54’s covered materials list, which is updated annually. Producers must show they’re taking steps to make film and flexible packaging more widely recyclable, otherwise they could face significant fines later on, according to The Recycling Partnership.
Flexible plastic packaging like bags, wraps and pouches is a fast-growing segment of the packaging industry, but these items are challenging to recycle in California and elsewhere in the U.S. Few municipalities accept the material curbside, and other recycling options are typically limited to pilot programs, MRF upgrades and drop-off initiatives.
USFFI aims to scale those efforts and “move towards a model where flexible films are intentionally collected alongside other recyclables,” it stated in a news release.
“By directly funding MRFs and recyclers through USFFI, we aim to prove that flexible packaging can be recycled at scale and become a meaningful part of a circular economy,” said Feliks Bezati, global circular packaging Director at Mars, in a statement.
The group proposes offering funding to MRFs and reclaimers so they can “manage the economics to sort, process, and reclaim flexible plastic packaging.” RFIs will target California MRF operators “that can recover flexible packaging and film already flowing through their facilities or have an interest in doing so in the immediate future,” the coalition said.
It also seeks MRF film processors and reclaimers that already have the capability to recycle flexible plastic packaging into new products, as well as secondary processors that can aggregate and process mixed flexible plastic packaging for reclamation.
The group, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, says it worked with Resource Recycling Systems to consult on relevant program details before the launch. USFFI aims to add more brands and retailers to its membership — in part to further scale recycling and end market efforts, and also to bolster investment capital and equipment grants.
“Through USFFI and its work with other key partners, we aim to help create a more robust infrastructure that will advance our shared goal to implement end-to-end recycling solutions for flexible packaging,” said Tiffany Gildehaus, senior manager of environmental sustainability at Nestlé Purina, in a statement.
USFFI’s work follows that of groups like CalFFlex, an initiative of The Recycling Partnership that is also working to “successfully demonstrate that [film and flexible packaging] has a scalable pathway to recyclability” in the state. That initiative works with CalRecycle and California’s PRO, the Circular Action Alliance, as well as major brands, including some of those involved in the CPG-led USFFI coalition.
Broader film recycling initiatives include the Flexible Film Recycling Alliance, led by the Plastic Industry Association, with stakeholders including the Flexible Packaging Association. That group aims to improve film and flexible packaging efforts across the country, including through a film drop-off directory.
California and New York are the two states with the most active use of the directory, PLASTICS said.
