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- Governmental and Lobbying
Congress introduces legislation targeting microplastics from textiles
To reduce microplastics in the environment, two members of Congress are tackling textile fibers, introducing legislation that would add filters to washing machines and require the government to study potential human health effects.
Sen. Jeff Merkley. D-Ore., and Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., introduced legislation July 24 that would require residential and commercial clothes washing machines by 2030 to made with filters to capture microfibers.
In a statement, both called textiles the “largest known source of microplastic pollution.”
“Microplastic pollution harms human health and our environment, and the Fighting Fibers Act is a simple fix to help consumers address the pollution from their clothes that is driving our global plastics crisis,” Merkley said.
The bill would also require the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies to release a study, within a year, on pathways of microfiber exposure and the potential human and environmental impacts, including on environmental justice communities.
Industry, recycling groups back bipartisan recycling bill
Two U.S. representatives introduced bipartisan recycling legislation in Congress July 17, supported by environmental and industry groups, that includes tax credits for private companies to buy recycling equipment to “accelerate the nation’s recycling system.”
The Cultivating Investment in Recycling and Circular Local Economies Act would establish a targeted 30 percent investment tax credit intended to improve U.S. recycling infrastructure through domestic manufacturing, according to the nonprofit Recycling Partnership.
The tax credit would be phased out over the next 10 years and local municipalities that invest in reducing waste would receive a direct rebate, it said.
Recycling In Action month draws interest from ‘thousands’
An initial attempt to highlight plastics recycling to the American public drew “thousands” of participants in May, according to the Association of Plastic Recyclers.
APR’s first-ever Recycling In Action month saw 36 recycling locations provide more than 150 public tours to provide what the trade group called “an inside look at how recyclables are sorted, processed, and turned into new products.”
Participants were given post-tour surveys with 85 percent indicating they believed recycling worked better than they previously thought, APR said.
Seventy-four percent said they had “strong confidence” that items placed in recycling bins were recycled correctly, and 70 percent “reported they now feel more confident in their ability to recycle correctly,” APR said. Of those surveyed, 82 percent also said they were likely to share information with others.
“At a time when public trust in recycling is often challenged, demonstrating that the system works is central to APR’s mission,” APR CEO Steve Alexander said in a statement. “By showing the recycling process in action, we helped demystify how plastics are recovered and gave people a renewed sense of confidence in the system.”
- Features and News Articles
Polymer Points Live: Tariffs, exports drive resin pricing surprises in June, July
Resin buyers saw some unexpected twists in June and July, as tariffs and global market conditions reshaped the pricing landscape for key commodity resins, senior reporter Frank Esposito said during the July edition of Polymer Points Live. See the recording below.
“June was a very surprising month,” Esposito told viewers. “Traditionally, you see a slowdown in pricing activity in June. That is not what we saw. We saw higher prices for four of the five major commodity resins.”
And buyers are seeing some more of the same in July.
In July, polystyrene registered another 2-cent gain, backed by production cuts and expectations of higher benzene prices in August. PS prices were also up 2 cents in June.
Polyethylene settled flat in July after a 3-cent increase in June, though Esposito warned that hurricane season could bring volatility.
July polypropylene pricing is still being negotiated, with expectations for flat to slightly lower numbers. PP prices were up a half cent per pound in June. PVC again held steady in July, the second month in a row.
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
Could recycled content be a back door to production caps in plastics treaty?
Production caps on virgin resin have been a major stumbling block within discussions for a global plastics treaty, and as the final round of talks opens Aug. 5, it remains hard to predict if they’ll be part of any final deal.
But even if caps are not included, the treaty still seems likely to endorse measures like recycled content and reusable packaging mandates that go down a similar path toward reducing virgin plastics production.
One treaty watcher said recycled-content mandates could have a similar impact to production caps, but perhaps with more political support.
European recyclers pressured to keep prices lower
European recyclers attempted to raise prices in June to cover the rising cost of scrap materials, but competition from low-cost imports, lower prices for virgin material and buyer resistance combined to fight the attempt.
Recycled high density polyethylene, high impact polystyrene and polypropylene prices dropped. Recycled low density PE, recycled PET clear and colored flake prices remained steady and only recycled PET clear food-grade pellets rose slightly.
There has been no significant improvement in demand for most recycled plastics, although recycled PET demand is approaching normal levels as the peak summer beverage season arrives. The large number of public holidays in Europe during the last two months has further hampered demand. There are no shortages of recyclate despite most plants continuing to operate at reduced rates to avoid an inventory build-up.
Plastics groups want treaty to grow trade in recycled materials
Going into what could be the final round of plastic treaty talks in August, industry groups like the World Plastics Council and Plastics Europe are pushing for the agreement to make it easier to trade clean recycled materials around the globe.
On one level, the industry push runs counter to growing global restrictions on plastics recycling exports in recent years, as both China’s National Sword regulation and the U.N.’s Basel Convention have moved to limit trade in plastic scrap.
Some developing countries called those moves necessary to better control pollution from imports of hard-to-recycle or dirtier waste plastics.
Plastics Recycling World Magazine
July/August 2025 issue:
The road ahead for automotive circularity
Policy and politicians are showing the influence they exert over how the automotive plastics recycling sector develops…
Chemical recyclers try to avoid obstacles
Despite pressures from outside the industry, the nascent chemical recycling sector has had success in the past year.
As the pressure to close the loop on plastic waste intensifies, the chemical recycling sector continues to evolve and expand. Over the past year, we have observed further advancements in pyrolytic and other technologies, welcomed some progress in regulation, but also encountered increasing hostility from environmentalists toward the sector.
Better quality with thorough cleaning
Suppliers are enabling recyclers to clean post-consumer waste with technologies for tackling heavy contamination, including printing inks.
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