Cooperative Testing — Generating Results!

The lifeblood of the plastics recycling industry is more, good raw material.  Packaging is a primary source of plastics to be recycled.  The packaging industry is constantly innovating new packages and modifying existing packages to lower costs and satisfy customer demand.  This is good as it can increase the supply of needed recycling raw material.  Problems can occur when an innovation creates an incompatibility with the existing stream of recycled plastic.  It is in the best interest of packaging designers, packaging companies, brand companies, and plastics recyclers that innovators know of the consequences of their innovations to plastics recycling and recyclers know of the innovations being developed through cooperative testing.

These cooperative initiatives:

• Help ensure that new materials and designs are compatible with the existing plastics recycling infrastructure;
• Help promote technology transfer so that the recovery of plastic materials keeps pace with new packaging designs; and
• Help sustain the economics of an industry supplying valuable post-consumer recovered material to markets worldwide.

How to Become a "Champion"

Provide on company letterhead, a letter of intent stating that your company wishes to participate in cooperative testing with the recycling members of APR.   OR

If you have engaged in cooperative testing with APR members independently — please inform APR with whom you are working. This ensures that APR’s Technical Committee can make recommendations on the necessary processes.  If you are interested in working with APR, a list of volunteer companies and contacts will be provided, if your company isn’t working with an APR member already.

Stipulations

Your company may choose which recyclers it engages in testing.

Your company may restrict the dissemination of proprietary information.

These programs welcome joint-confidentiality agreements.

However

APR companies MUST be allowed to make GENERALIZED COMMENTS to the APR membership concerning challenges that new packages may create for the existing plastics recycling infrastructure.

Before You Get Started

For those testing new bottle compositions, be sure to study the following documents:  Design for Recyclability , Criteria to Consider, and Critical Issues.

Additional Program Elements Include:

• Agreement between the APR member and Champion to assigned action items, completion of items and requisite payment of associated expenses.
• Agreement on the processing steps to be included and the critical properties/processing parameters to be evaluated.
• Agreement as to what results will be shared with the APR membership prior to the evaluation.
• The Champion agrees to provide sufficient representative material for all agreed-to testing.

The APR member will process the test material to at least a flake or pellet form, evaluate its impact on processing systems and determine final product composition and performance.

Endorsement

• The Champions for Change program in no way constitutes a certification or endorsement of any packaging application.
• APR will NOT certify the recyclability of any bottle.
• APR will NOT mandate the handling of new bottles to its members.

APR Recognizes Significant Contributions

APR WILL recognize companies that accept the invitation with awards designed to praise participation in the program.

APR offers its Recognition Program for packaging innovators.  Packages or innovations meeting the Critical Guidance protocols receive a letter so attesting.  Packages meeting the Applications Guidance protocols earn the right to use a logo on the package.