As Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing turns 10, we're looking back at 10 people who made significant contributions to the industry during the past decade. Read more of our 10 People for 10 Years here.
By Ron Shinn
You might not be familiar with his name, but Steve Alexander is making a big impact on the future of the plastics industry.
As president and CEO of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) for the past 19 years, he has been an important voice for the circular economy. At the ground level, he is involved in collection and recycling efforts. On a higher level, he talks about global markets for recycled plastics, the UN Global Plastics Treaty, what’s happening in Congress, product bans, product design and the prices of virgin and recycled resin.
He has a special talent for speaking clearly about complex issues and tying together the different parts of the value chain.
Alexander has supported mandatory recycled content standards for consumer products and works to make brand owners understand the need to design their products for recyclability.
“We need state and federal policies to ensure minimum recycled content standards for recycled content to advance circularity for plastic,” he said recently in a news release.
Prior to joining APR, Alexander spent 20 years representing corporate and association clients on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures.
Ron Shinn | Editor
Editor Ron Shinn is a co-founder of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing and has been covering the plastics industry for more than 35 years. He leads the editorial team, directs coverage and sets the editorial calendar. He also writes features, including the Talking Points column and On the Factory Floor, and covers recycling and sustainability for PMM and Plastics Recycling.
