U.S. Plastics Pact Releases Position Paper on Physical and Chemical Recycling, Calling for Clear Guardrails and a Complementary Role in a Circular Economy

Consensus guidance on when these technologies should be used, and the standards needed to protect communities and advance circularity.

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Plastics Pact (USPP) today released a new position paper on the role of physical and chemical recycling in a circular economy, offering science-based, consensus-driven guidance to policymakers and industry leaders. Developed with input from the full plastics value chain, the position provides clarity on how these technologies can help address hard-to-recycle plastics, while ensuring that they do not displace reduction, reuse, or mechanical recycling efforts.

“Too often, these technologies are talked about in extremes — either as a silver bullet or as something to be dismissed outright,” said Jonathan Quinn, President and CEO of the USPP. “This position paper is exactly what the USPP is designed to do — bring Activators together in a pre-competitive space to wrestle with hard problems and consider data-driven real-world solutions.”

The USPP’s position paper affirms that physical and chemical recycling are options for materials that cannot be feasibly addressed through reduction, reuse, and mechanical recycling. The paper notes that the scale-up of these technologies should expand—not duplicate—recycling system capabilities, while enabling high-quality postconsumer recycled content (PCR) including for applications requiring stringent health and safety standards.

“We appreciate the thoughtful approach to understanding how each recycling pathway can help keep plastics in the value chain,” said Cherish Changala, Revolution Sustainable Solutions. “Balancing innovation, environmental responsibility, sound policy, and continued advancement in mechanical recycling will move us closer to true circularity.”

“This position paper recognizes that physical and chemical recycling technologies can play a meaningful role in addressing plastics that are difficult to recycle through conventional means,” said Tamsin Ettefagh, Chief Sustainability Officer and EVP of Government and Industry Relations for PureCycle Technologies. “As a physical recycler, we believe it is essential to define responsible parameters and to position these technologies as complementary within the broader system. The U.S. Plastics Pact is helping create the clarity companies need to innovate with confidence. With the right guardrails, we can scale solutions that prioritize material‑to‑material recycling, expand circularity, protect communities, and keep more plastic in the value chain—not the environment.”

The position reflects months of research, discussion, and review. The USPP examined scientific literature, existing policy approaches, and environmental assessments, and incorporated feedback from Activators across the plastics value chain—ensuring that a wide range of perspectives shaped the final guidance.

“Our goal is to help policymakers, companies, and communities make informed decisions grounded in science, transparency, and shared responsibility,” said Crystal Bayliss, Director of Strategy and Engagement at the USPP. “When implemented with the right standards and accountability, physical and chemical recycling can help unlock new circularity pathways for materials that today have no viable end-of-life solution. This position provides the practical guidance needed to ensure these technologies strengthen our collective progress toward a circular economy.”

The full position can be found at: https://usplasticspact.org/physical-and-chemical-recycling-position-paper/

About U.S. Plastics Pact

The U.S. Plastics Pact is a solutions-focused initiative uniting stakeholders across the plastics value chain to eliminate plastic waste and accelerate the transition to a circular economy. As part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact Network, the U.S. Pact works toward a shared vision with measurable, time-bound targets. Learn more at https://www.usplasticspact.org