The percentage of plastic that actually gets recycled is in the single digits and proper sortation continues to be a challenge, limiting the end uses for recycled plastic. This creates multiple issues, from water pollution to demand for landfill space to carbon emissions. The plastics industry has aggressively gone down the path of finding technologies that ameliorate these issues because shareholders and consumers have demanded it. The focus for the last several years has been mechanical recycling but more sophishisticated and advanced approaches are now in focus including turning plastic back into virgin-grade product. As for chemical production, one of the more promising areas of focus has been the use of renewable feedstock, everything from tree oil to cellulose to cotton t-shirts. This will require time and lots of capital, and while these are still a few years away, Steve Byrne suggests we are edging closer to a more sustainable way to produce plastics.

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