APR Design® Assessment Tool, powered by Recyda, streamlines packaging recyclability evaluations for North American plastic recyclers.
The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) launched its new APR Design® Assessment Tool, powered by Recyda, on June 20, 2024, providing North American packaging manufacturers with an automated platform to evaluate product recyclability against APR's rigorous design guidelines.
This collaboration directly impacts plastic recyclers by standardizing pre-market assessments, reducing contamination, and improving feedstock quality. It offers a critical pre-competitive solution for brand owners, converters, and resin producers aiming to meet escalating recycled content mandates and voluntary sustainability commitments.
Automating Packaging Design for Recyclability
The new tool integrates APR's comprehensive Design Guide for Plastics Recyclability with Recyda's software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, creating a streamlined process for companies to assess packaging designs. Previously, these evaluations often involved manual reviews and extensive communication with APR staff, creating bottlenecks for rapid product development cycles.
- The platform supports evaluations for nine distinct plastic categories, including PET bottles, HDPE bottles, and PP containers.
- Users receive instant feedback on compliance with APR's design guidelines, identifying potential issues before production.
- The tool incorporates regional recycling infrastructure nuances, specifically for the U.S. and Canada.
- Recyda's existing database of over 150,000 material and packaging components underpins the assessment engine.
- APR will continue to offer its established Recognition Program for designs that meet the highest standards of recyclability.
Boosting Recycled Content and Market Demand
This initiative directly supports legislative efforts like California's SB 54, which mandates 65% post-consumer recycled content for plastic packaging by 2032. By providing clear, actionable design feedback, the tool enables brand owners to design packaging that is genuinely recyclable and can contribute to these targets. This increased supply of high-quality recycled material is essential for meeting the growing demand from consumer packaged goods companies committed to circular economy principles.
What This Means for Recyclers
Plastic reclaimers stand to benefit significantly from this automated assessment. Improved upstream design for recyclability translates directly into cleaner bales, reduced sorting costs, and higher yields of marketable post-consumer resin. This consistency in feedstock quality will allow recyclers to operate more efficiently, invest with greater confidence in advanced sorting and processing technologies, and ultimately expand the capacity for plastics recycling across North America.
