A Plea for Investment in Recycling
Dan Felton, President and CEO of the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), testified in July before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) Subcommittee on Environment during a hearing about recycling innovation and economic growth.
“Flexible packaging is one of the most sustainable packaging types, as it reduces water and energy consumption, improves product-to-package ratio, enhances transportation efficiency, minimizes food waste, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” he informed. Felton then spoke about recycling and proposed to the subcommittee several public policy issues on which FPA focuses to increase flexible packaging recycling. That included the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act (RIAA) and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (RCCA) currently under consideration in Congress; advanced recycling technologies; the use of recycled content in flexible packaging; and support for a federal law for labeling of packaging for compostability, recyclability, and reusability. “FPA is deeply committed to solving packaging waste issues and increasing the recyclability and recycling of flexible packaging,” Felton testified. “We are collaborating with manufacturers, brand owners, recyclers, retailers, waste management companies, and other organizations to continue making strides toward total packaging recovery.”
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2025, Page 37)
