PLASTICS: Recycling leadership calls for a wide range of expertise

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) recently announced the 2023 Executive Board members of its 2023 Recycling Committee.

“PLASTICS relies on and values leadership from members,” said Andy Brewer, PLASTICS’ Director of Sustainability and Materials. “We’re excited to announce the 2023 Recycling Committee Executive Board, with expert professionals fully representing the entire plastics industry supply chain.”

PLASTICS is the only trade association representing the entire plastics supply chain. As every link in that chain is connected in one way or another toward building a sustainable, circular economy, PLASTICS draws on expertise from throughout the industry — equipment suppliers, material suppliers, processors and recyclers — to address related issues.

Reflective of that broad range, the PLASTICS Recycling Committee Executive Board — composed of 10 members, voted upon by committee members — is elected to provide thought leadership for PLASTICS and throughout the industry. The 2023 members are:  

• Chair: Tory Flynn, Hillenbrand 
• Vice Chair: Melanie Bower, ExxonMobil 
• Member at Large: Lindy Holland, M. Holland 
• Member at Large: Jean Jordan, Nexus Circular 
• Member at Large: Ray Pellerin, Erema 
• Advanced Recycling: Holli Alexander, Eastman  
• Advocacy & Communications: Christine Cassidy, Dart  
• Events & Education: John Cook, Niagara Bottling  
• New End Market Opportunities: Dan Sanders, Printpack  
• Immediate Past Chair: Kevin Cronin, Ultra-Poly Corporation 

As a tactical committee of the association, the Recycling Committee comes together to align members’ collective efforts to put recycling at the forefront of their business priorities.

Members work to enhance the management of plastic waste through efforts such as advocating for increased collection, sortation and recycling infrastructure, and educating people both within and outside of the industry about plastics recycling. The committee also is dedicated to ensuring the definition of “recycling” includes advanced recycling. The committee’s annual online event, Plastic Recycling Week, is an important vehicle for sharing a wide breadth of information, useful to both the public and the industry.

Throughout the year, the Recycling Committee also provides leadership for both the association and the industry with initiatives such as PLASTICS’ New End Market Opportunities (NEMO) projects, that include such efforts as using plastic grocery bags in the production of road asphalt and an innovative collection/recycling endeavor that recovers automobile bumpers from body shops, which could divert 145 million pounds of such material from landfills.

The Recycling Committee is just one of PLASTICS’ wide-ranging initiatives, representing over 1 million workers in the $468 billion U.S. plastics industry. PLASTICS advances the priorities of members who are dedicated to investing in technologies that improve capabilities and advances in recycling and sustainability, and providing essential products that allow for the protection and safety of our lives.

Since 1937, PLASTICS has been working to make its members, and the sixth-largest U.S. manufacturing industry, more globally competitive while supporting circularity through educational initiatives, industry-leading insights and events, convening opportunities and policy advocacy, including the largest plastics trade show in the Americas, the forthcoming NPE2024: The Plastics Show.