Plastic Packaging Flexes Its Resource E�ciency

Plastic packaging is lightweight, cost-efficient and does a great job protecting and preserving food. And that's just the beginning of the story.

Material E�ciencyIt can take less lightweight plastic to package many products than alternatives. Substituting a variety of plastics packaging** with non-plastics alternatives would increase the amount of packaging generated annually in the U.S. by 55 million tons.

Other packaging

130% more GHGs

80% more energy+

Plastics used in packaging help prevent food waste, deliver food safely, and meet FDA safety standards.

By preventing product waste, packaging also prevents the waste of all the resources* invested in growing and producing products.

Packaging can dramatically extend food shelf life, helping to save consumers money and prevent spoilage.

*water, energy, materials**The study assessed the energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions of six general categories of plastic packaging produced and sold in the United States and Canada. These include caps and closures, beverage containers, other rigid containers, carrier bags, stretch/shrink wrap, and other flexible packaging.

Reducing what we use in the first place conserves natural resources and means there is less overall material produced, per application. In fact, replacing all plastic packaging

with alternatives would use more energy and create more greenhouse gases.

More plastic is being recycled now than ever before and most Americans can recycle plastics after use.

Through a combination of recycling and energy conversion, the United States recovered 27% of used plastics in 2013.

And finally, technologies that convert non-recycled plastic into energy help divert additional materials from landfills.

Alternatives would result in 130% more global warming potential. That’s like adding 15.7 million cars to our roads.

33% less 77% less 76% less

Plastic packaging creates less greenhouse gases than alternative packaging.

Energy E�ciency

Milk jug Plastic tuna pouch Plastic coffee brick

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Recover.

1.2+ B lbs.Flexible polyethylene filmrecycled in 2014

Over 70%Americans can recycle plastic bags and wrapsat stores

1.3+ B lbs.Other rigid plasticsrecycled in 2014

Over 60%Americans can recycle other rigid plastics

= 1mil.

3+ B lbs.Bottlesrecycled in 2014

Over 94%Americans can recycle plastic bottles