This month, Recycled Content host Kara Pochiro is joined by the Association of Plastic Recyclers' (APR) Kate Eagles, Program Director of Policy & Markets, and Emily Tipaldo, Program Manager for the Market Development Committee. Together, they break down the APR Recycling Demand Champions Program, an initiative supported by The Recycling Partnership, that recognizes companies committed to the long-term use of North American post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic. They also discuss how this year's recognized champions, Amcor, Charter Next Generation, Kraft Heinz, Novolex, and Triton Group, demonstrated strong commitments to purchasing or manufacturing products with recycled plastics and expanding PCR use.

Kate and Emily discuss current market pressures facing the plastics recycling industry, including low-cost virgin plastic and rising imports, and explain why strong, reliable demand for PCR is essential to maintaining and scaling a circular plastics economy. Tune in to learn how the APR Recycling Demand Champions Program drives investment in high-quality PCR, keeps recyclable materials in the value chain, and helps strengthen the circular economy for plastics.

This episode is sponsored by MCC Label, visit iml.mcclabel.com to learn more.

In Recycled Content's fourth episode spotlighting APR's Recycling Leadership Award winners, host Kara Pochiro sits down with Dr. Jun Wang, Director of Packing Innovation at Colgate-Palmolive, winner of the Design Innovation Award. Together, they explore how Dr. Wang led the team behind Colgate-Palmolive's innovative mono-material toothpaste tube, which earned APR Design® Recognition and helped shift an entire product category toward recyclability. The two discuss how Colgate turned a long-standing non-recyclable package into one compatible with existing recycling systems, the importance of collaboration across the value chain, and why Colgate chose to share its design publicly to accelerate industry adoption. Interested to hear about what sustainable packaging innovations are coming next for Colgate-Palmolive? Then tune in!

In this episode of Recycled Content, APR Technical Director Scott Trenor takes over hosting duties to explore the FDA's role in ensuring recycled plastics are safe for use in food packaging with guest Sean Fischer, an FDA Regulatory Review Scientist within the Division of Food Contact Substances. The two dive into the evaluation process, and critical need behind the FDA's No Objection Letters (NOL), an official statement from the FDA signaling that the agency has reviewed a recycling process and has no concerns about its ability to produce material suitable for food-contact use. The conversation also tackles common misconceptions, international alignment with Europe's EFSA, and how recyclers can better navigate regulatory pathways. Tune in to hear how recycled plastics move from curbside collection to safe, food-contact applications, and what it means for the future of circular packaging.

In the third episode of our series highlighting APR's Recycling Leadership Award winners, host Kara Pochiro is joined by Darren Scholl, the Chief of Operations at KW Container, winner of the PCR Utilization Award. The two highlight KW Container's work transforming the paint-and-coatings industry by creating fully recyclable paint cans made with recycled plastics and driving demand by consuming over 1 billion pounds of curbside-collected polypropylene in the last 14 years. With more than 30 years of experience in plastics, Darren offers a behind-the-scenes look at KW's latest innovations, the challenges of scaling recycled content, and what it takes to overcome existing hurdles to create a new design. Tune in to hear how KW Container is proving that recycled plastics don't just compete with traditional products, they can set a new standard for performance and sustainability.

In this episode of Recycled Content, host Kara Pochiro is joined by Meredith Boyd, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Unifi, to discuss the innovation behind REPREVE®, which received the APR Recycling Technology Innovation Award. Together, they explore how REPREVE® has transformed textile recycling by leveraging multiple sources into different sustainable fibers. Meredith shares insights on the importance of transparency, sustainability, and market diversity in building a true circular economy, as well as why textile recycling is about longevity, rather than "downcycling." The conversation highlights how policy and mindset shifts drive change, the challenges of the recycling industry, and offers insights into what the future holds for textile recycling. Tune in!

Debra Wilson, Materials R&D Director at Amcor and recipient of the inaugural APR Recycling Leadership Award for Outstanding Leadership, joins Recycled Content host Kara Pochiro to discuss Debra's 33+ years of commitment to plastic standardization activities. The two dive into Debra's influential role in aligning APR Design® Guidance with RecyClass standards, as well as her work with ASTM International and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Debra reflects on her proudest accomplishments during her tenure and the importance of collaboration and involvement across the value chain. Tune in to hear how the plastics recycling industry has evolved over the last 30 years and the continued progress that Debra, APR, and the broader industry are making for a more sustainable future.

In this episode of Recycled Content, host Kara Pochiro is joined by Megan Byers, Program Director at the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), and Chris Max, Research Lead in Sustainable Packaging Innovation at Kraft Heinz company. Kara, Megan, and Chris dive into the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability as APR celebrates 30 years of shaping how brands design packaging with a focus on sustainability and recycling. During the discussion, Megan walks through the evolution of the APR Design® Guide from a simple technical manual to an internationally recognized tool influencing packaging design across the globe, including the latest updates on APR's expanding ecosystem of recycling support programs. Want to get a real-world look at how Kraft Heinz is using the APR Design® Guide to meet sustainability goals and reengineering packaging for greater recyclability? Then tune in!

To kick off Recycling in Action Month, Recycled Content host Kara Pochiro is joined by Pia Baker, APR's Director of Marketing and leader of the Recycling in Action initiative. Throughout the month of May, Material Recovery Facilities (MRFS) and recyclers will offer tours for an up-close in-person look at the journey recyclables take from collection, sortation, and transformation. The two deep dive into common and harmful myths about recycling and the thought process behind launching Recycling in Action this year. Want to hear more about how you can get involved in this inaugural initiative and see what it's like to witness recycling in action for yourself? Then sign up for a tour, tune in, and check out https://plasticsrecycling.org/recycling-in-action/.

In this bonus episode of Recycled Content, guest host and leader in the recycling space, Maite Quinn, President of Re-Colab and Resource Recycling, Inc. interviews Marisa Adler, Senior Consultant at RRS, and Beth Forsberg, Senior VP & Chief Sustainability Officer at Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, to highlight Resource Recycling's first-ever Textile Recovery Summit at the Plastics Recycling Conference. The conversation explores the growing importance of textile recovery, the innovative solutions driving circularity in the textile industry, and the role of synthetic fibers in textiles. They also dive into how lessons from plastics recycling can be applied to textiles and the future of recovery technologies. Tune in to hear about exciting new opportunities and initiatives for sustainability in the textile industry, and don't miss the Textile Recovery Summit from March 24th-26th!

In this second bonus episode ahead of the Plastics Recycling Conference (PRC), guest host and reporter at Resource Recycling, Inc., Antoinette Smith, interviews Bill Robberson, Co-Founder, President and Chief Technology Officer of KAMILO, Inc. Together, they dive into KAMILO's work in digital tracking and traceability within the recycling industry and how it impacts Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies. Antoinette and Bill also discuss the importance of transparency in supply chains while maintaining confidentiality, and the need for authenticity to drive efficient recycling practices. Want to hear more about how KAMILO's innovative digital tracking process is impacting the plastic recycling industry? Then tune into this conversation and check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je47im3s9t4.