Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy has released a groundbreaking report after over two years of market research and recycling tests in collaboration with prominent partners, including Maybelline New York, L’Oréal Groupe, P&G, Kraft Heinz, and Target. The report highlights a viable pathway to recover tens of thousands of tons of small-format plastics, like polypropylene, from materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and glass recycling plants across the United States.
These findings pave the way for addressing a significant gap in recycling infrastructure, demonstrating the potential for significant waste reduction and material recovery with targeted equipment upgrades and reconfigurations.
Industry Collaboration to Tackle Small-Format Packaging Waste
The Center for the Circular Economy conducted extensive research in partnership with leading brands to develop scalable solutions for recycling small-format packaging. The rigorous process involved:
- Collecting samples from two MRFs’ glass streams and one glass recycling plant’s residue streams.
- Trialing new equipment configurations to sort plastics from these streams.
- Sending plastics to reclaimers to test processability and market value.
- Iterating processes to fine-tune recovery solutions.
Marissa Pagnani McGowan, Chief Sustainability Officer, North America for L’Oréal Groupe, emphasized the company’s commitment to sustainability:
“L’Oréal is excited to partner with Closed Loop Partners to develop innovative solutions for recovering packaging materials, reducing waste, and creating opportunities in a fragmented national recycling infrastructure. Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy provides practical and scalable approaches for recovering small-format plastics that end up in landfills.”
Key Findings from the Report
The report identifies high-value opportunities for recovering small-format materials and presents a compelling business case for targeted investments in recycling infrastructure:
- Many small-format plastics hold significant market value and are in high demand, particularly among mechanical recyclers.
- Existing technologies can be modified to recover these materials effectively at MRFs and glass recycling plants.
- Logistical solutions are already available to manage these materials.
- Transformative equipment upgrades at recycling facilities are essential to scale recovery efforts.
Kate Daly, Managing Partner at Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, stated:
“We’re eager to put our findings to the test and, through the Consortium to Recover Small-Format Packaging, deploy equipment and infrastructure upgrades to drive real-world proof-of-concepts. It’s critical that we advance solutions to recover valuable small-format materials, like polypropylene, that otherwise typically end up in landfill.”
Real-World Applications and Future Goals
The report’s findings will be tested through the new Consortium for Small-Format Packaging Recovery, which aims to deploy upgrades to recycling facilities across the U.S. The consortium will focus on recovering small-format plastics that often escape recycling systems due to their size, creating a robust value chain involving recyclers, reclaimers, policymakers, and brands.
Trisha Ayyagari, Global Brand President of Maybelline New York, emphasized the importance of addressing the packaging waste challenge:
“As the number one makeup brand in the world, we have a responsibility to create the most sustainable makeup lifecycle possible. Most makeup packaging is too small to be recycled; it literally falls through the cracks at recycling facilities.”
With increasing regulatory compliance requirements, such as Extended Producer Responsibility legislation, and growing brand commitments to waste reduction, the Center’s work is critical to achieving sustainability goals. The consortium will aim to divert significant amounts of material from landfills, reduce carbon emissions, and generate more post-consumer recycled content.
Call for Partners and Industry Engagement
The Center for the Circular Economy is inviting research-phase partners to join the consortium and is expanding participation to brands from various sectors. The group aims to collectively quantify the tonnage of materials recycled, emissions reduced, and industry-wide impact achieved.
This initiative represents a landmark opportunity for brands and industries to collaborate on creating scalable solutions to one of the most persistent challenges in recycling infrastructure.