Quantifying environmental benefits of recycled plastic
From Resource Recycling Magazine, by Jared Paben
Researchers have calculated substantial upsides from making products out of recycled PET, HDPE and PP instead of prime plastics.
Franklin Associates is conducting the research on behalf of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR). APR’s president, Steve Alexander, noted that brand owners will be able to reference the data to calculate progress toward their sustainability goals when they use recycled plastic. He called the life cycle inventory research “a critical tool to utilize and market the value of recycled materials.”
The research investigated GHG emissions from “cradle to gate,” including collection, transportation, sorting and processing into flake or pellet. Franklin Associates didn’t attempt to study impacts associated with manufacturing finished products because of the wide variety of products made from plastics and their varying environmental impacts.