This bipartisan bill aims to modernize the U.S. recycling infrastructure, increase the use of recycled plastic
Global packaging leader Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY) supports the “Accelerating a Circular Economy for Plastics and Recycling Innovation Act of 2024,” introduced by Congressmen Dr. Larry Bucshon (R-Indiana) and Don Davis (D-North Carolina). This solutions-oriented legislation aims to increase plastics recycling and prevent plastic from ending up in the environment. Berry operates nearly 100 facilities in the U.S. and supports more than 2,800 jobs in Indiana’s 8th Congressional District and more than 135 jobs in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
"We would like to thank Representatives Bucshon and Davis for coming together in a bipartisan fashion to bolster plastic recycling, support jobs and the economy, and create regulatory certainty for businesses to tackle these important challenges,” said Kevin Kwilinski, CEO of Berry Global. “Berry supports this act because it will help modernize the nation’s fragmented recycling infrastructure and significantly increase use of recycled material in new products.”
The bill stands to make an impact by:
- Tasking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish national plastic recycling standards to increase the national recycling rate across America. Currently, there are more than 9,000 recycling jurisdictions in the U.S. with differing recycling practices.
- Requiring a minimum recycled content mandate for plastic packaging of 30% by 2030 to drive increased private investment in plastics recycling and incentivize the use of packaging designed for recycling. The U.S. recycling rate for plastic packaging is around 13% and this bill could more than double that amount by 2030.
- Assigning the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a lifecycle study comparing the carbon impact and greenhouse gas emissions from comparable product materials that will guide informed environmental policy.
- Establishing a legal framework for new recycling technologies to support continued investment and innovation.
About Berry
At Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY), we create innovative packaging solutions that we believe make life better for people and the planet. We do this every day by leveraging our unmatched global capabilities, sustainability leadership, and deep innovation expertise to serve customers of all sizes around the world. Harnessing the strength in our diversity and industry-leading talent of over 40,000 global employees across more than 250 locations, we partner with customers to develop, design, and manufacture innovative products with an eye toward the circular economy. The challenges we solve and the innovations we pioneer benefit our customers at every stage of their journey. For more information visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn or X.