As sustainability has increasingly become part of many corporate strategies, using recycled content in plastic goods manufacturing has become equally important. That interplay between brand owner objectives and recovered material is just one element in the ever-evolving plastics recycling sphere.
Our company produces the world's largest plastics recycling event and has done so for more than a decade. We also publish the only print and digital periodical in the plastics recycling space — Plastics Recycling Update — and in this producer/publisher role, we've had a front-row seat as the recycling side of the greater plastics industry has taken on a louder voice in the plastics conversation. We have seen plastics recycling move from simple grinding and bagging operations to highly technical, multi-million dollar plants producing recycled resins that can perform right alongside their virgin counterparts.
Just like the companies we cover, we have adapted to plastics recycling's shifting landscape and thrived amid the unrest. Our goal is to offer attendees and readers a clear, compelling portrait of the industry's current realities and to help them prepare for the inevitable changes to come.
In addition, a key reason for the success of the Plastics Recycling Conference (it now attracts more than 1,500 attendees each year) is its ongoing alliance with many important trade groups. We have for many years enjoyed the support of the American Chemistry Council, the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers, the National Association for PET Container Resources and the environmental division of the Society of Plastics Engineers. We have also hosted SPI-produced content for the past two years, and have invited them to work with us again.
However, a number of individuals in the recycling industry have voiced concern to us that a newly announced conference being put on by SPI may force plastics company representatives to “choose” between the two events. SPI noted that the group will be “focusing the new event on manufacturing issues, zero-waste goals and post-industrial plastics,” as the group's director of recycling, Kim Holmes, was quoted as saying in this publication. That's a fine aspiration and important territory to cover as more companies outside the traditional recycling space start to see the economic and social value in boosting recycled content.
As we move forward to produce our 11th annual Plastics Recycling Conference, to be held next Feb. 1-3 in New Orleans, we will continue to highlight the important work from innovative individuals, groups and companies and to bring together all key stakeholders to help move plastics recycling forward.
And we are always listening. If you have questions or concerns about conference offerings or the industry as a whole, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Learn more at www.plasticsrecycling.com.
Jerry Powell
President
Dylan de Thomas
Editorial Director
The Plastics Recycling Conference
