The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) and Canada’s Circular Plastics Taskforce (CPT) have announced a strategic partnership to enhance plastics recycling systems in North America.

By combining their expertise and resources, the organisations aim to develop innovative solutions that increase the volume of recycled plastics and promote a circular economy.

APR and CPT share a commitment to improving packaging design and recycling infrastructure.

APR’s focus on packaging compatibility and recycling tools aligns with CPT’s efforts to optimise plastics management in Canada.

Through collaborative pilot projects and research initiatives, the partnership will explore ways to address challenges associated with hard-to-recycle plastics such as flexibles and PET thermoforms.

“The Circular Plastics Taskforce is helping to develop and implement sortation and recycling solutions in Canada for hard-to-recycle plastics in the context of extended producer responsibility programmes across the country,” said Steve Alexander, APR president and CEO.

“APR’s tools and resources are the starting point for enabling compatibility between package designs and the recycling infrastructure. By leveraging each organisation’s strengths, we will help achieve an effective and robust plastics recycling system in Canada and beyond.”

“Our common goal is to increase the use of recycled content in plastic packaging. For that to happen, we need improved sortation and recycling capacities, which are particularly needed for hard-to-recycle plastics such as flexibles and PET thermoforms,” added Marie-Anne Champoux-Guimond, CPT board of directors chair.

“Bringing APR’s packaging design expertise and industry perspective in our projects will complement our approach and unlock new opportunities for improvement across the value chain.”

The partnership between APR and CPT represents a significant step forward in addressing the challenges of plastic waste and promoting a more sustainable future on the continent.

By working together, the organisations hope to inspire other industry stakeholders to join the movement toward a circular economy for plastics.