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- Governmental and Lobbying
Canada’s top appeals court upholds Ottawa’s right to label plastic products as toxic
Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal has overturned a lower-court ruling and upheld the federal government’s authority to classify plastic-manufactured items as “toxic” under environmental law — a sweeping win for the federal government and a setback for the plastics and petrochemical industry.
In a unanimous decision released Jan. 30, the court ruled that the federal leaders in Ottawa acted reasonably when it added plastic manufactured items to Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act in 2021, restoring the legal foundation for federal action aimed at reducing plastic pollution.
The decision reverses a 2023 Federal Court ruling that found the designation unreasonable and unconstitutional. Industry groups and several provincial governments had argued plastics are too broad a category to be labelled toxic and that Ottawa was intruding into provincial jurisdiction.
CalRecycle narrows exemptions in plastics EPR law
A California state agency wants to narrow the range of packaging exempt from its ambitious plastics packaging extended producer responsibility law after hearing concerns from environmental groups and legislators.
CalRecycle released new draft rules on Jan. 29 that seem to cover more packaging, narrowing the number of products that could be exempt from complying with the state’s EPR law, known as SB-54.
The law requires companies using packaging covered by the law to pay fees to support better recycling infrastructure. CalRecycle is currently writing detailed rules to implement SB-54.
Groups were still digesting the new draft, but the latest proposal limits the type of U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations that could be used to exempt packaging from the state’s EPR program.
- Features and News Articles
A closer look at resin pricing trends
North American commodity resin markets mostly ended 2025 on a subdued note, with few changes in the month of December.
The biggest surprise may have come from the polystyrene market, where resin took an unexpected climb of 3 cents. That increase followed higher prices for benzene feedstock, which were up almost 30 cents per gallon to around $2.75 — an increase of almost 12 percent vs. November.
Feedstock issues and the push and pull of demand were at play elsewhere for resin buyers and sellers. Plastics News senior reporter Frank Esposito digs into the details in the January Polymer Points web-exclusive column, available now.
Plastics News names 2025 Processor of the Year finalists
https://www.plasticsnews.com/special-reports/processor-year/pn-2025-processor-of-the-year-finalists/
Intek Plastics LLC, Radius Packaging and Texas Injection Molding LLC are finalists for the 2025 Plastics News Processor of the Year award.
The three finalists will be recognized at the 2026 Plastics News Executive Forum, March 24-25 in Clearwater Beach, Fla., where the Processor of the Year winner will be revealed. Full profiles of the finalists will appear in the April 6 issue of Plastics News.
This year marks the 31st time the Processor of the Year award will be presented. The 2024 winner was Redline Plastics LLC, a Manitowoc, Wis.-based rotational molder and thermoformer.
Click on the link above to get details on each of the 2025 finalists.
The most-read Plastics News stories of 2025
The plastics industry is no stranger to change, but in 2025, change came in waves. From high-profile bankruptcies and global trade tensions to strategic shakeups and mounting sustainability pressure, Plastics News readers showed keen interest in how the industry is adapting — and who is leading the charge.
This year’s most-read stories reflected a blend of timely breaking news, resin pricing volatility, M&A scoops, tariff and trade developments, and regulatory shifts.
Click on the link above for our countdown of the Top 25 Plastics News stories of 2025, based on pageviews, unique visitors and total engagement.
2026 agenda: Sustainability, safety, and workforce investment remain top priorities
We’ve published our editorial agenda in the first issue of Plastics News every year since 2001. It’s the foundation for our weekly opinion columns, and it also offers a blueprint for a prosperous and sustainable plastics industry.
Click on the link above to read Plastics News Editor Don Loepp’s thoughts on our programming and focus for the year ahead.
Mergers & Acquisition Tracker
Updated list of merger and acquisition deals within the plastics industry. Details include the buyer and the company or assets being purchased, along with a link to read more about each transaction.
- Recycling and Sustainability
EU launches support measures for plastics recyclers
The European Commission has introduced short-term measures to support EU plastics recyclers.
The measures, announced on 23 December 2025, address market fragmentation, unfair competition and the lack of a level playing field.
The Commission announced the measures in a Communication called ‘Accelerating Europe’s transition to a circular economy: a pilot for boosting the circularity of plastics’. A Communication is a non-binding policy document where the Commission informs lawmakers and the public about its intentions for new legislation.
The Communication was accompanied by a Draft Act establishing, for the first time, Union-wide criteria determining when plastic waste ceases to be waste. That Draft Act is open for feedback until 26 January 2026. It is expected to apply from 1 July 2026.
Sign up: Can new EU measures rescue plastics recyclers?
Join us on February 3 at 4 PM CET/10 AM EST for a Sustainable Plastics Livestream.
Sustainable Plastics editor Beatriz Santos will be joined by Emilia Tarlowska, public affairs and communications director at Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) to discuss the support measures for plastics recyclers introduced by the European Commission at the end of 2025. The measures were designed to address market fragmentation, unfair competition and the lack of a level playing field. They will discuss the scope of the proposals, implementation timelines and ask whether they do enough to address the current market crisis.
Click on the link above to learn more and register.
2025 Wrapped: The top stories on Sustainable Plastics
As 2025 wraps up, we bring you the most-viewed stories on Sustainable Plastics throughout the year. Click on the link above to read the Top 10 articles in Sustainable Plastics.
- Plastics News Calendar of Plastics-Related Events
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/peek-plastics-news-calendar-plastics-related-events/
Plastics Recycling World Magazine
Note that the January 2026 issue has not yet been published.
