(July 2012) New Group Takes Proactive Approach to Plastic Foodservice Packaging Recovery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Natha Freiburg, Vice President
nfreiburg@fpi.org
(703) 538-3552

(July 9, 2012 - Falls Church, Va.) The Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) recently announced the founding of the "Plastics Recovery Group" (PRG), a collaboration of businesses and organizations dedicated to creating solutions to expand the recovery and processing of used plastic foodservice packaging.

Today, a limited recovery infrastructure and end use markets result in valuable resources ending up in landfills. The PRG will serve as the catalyst to propel recovery of used plastic foodservice packaging in North America through the<

Development of the necessary collection infrastructure;
Expansion of the end use markets for recovered materials;
Education and engagement of consumers to increase recovery; and
Collaboration with government officials.

"The group is currently reviewing collection and processing opportunities that will allow cross supply-chain allies and partners to pursue a multi-faceted approach to recovery, using all potential landfill diversion options," reported FPI Vice President Natha Freiburg. Ms. Freiburg also shared that the PRG intends to pilot new projects throughout the value chain, test the economic viability of existing and future initiatives and work closely together with other organizations focused on plastics and packaging recovery.

The PRG is a separate member-funded project within FPI. Current PRG members include:

Absolute Plastics, LLC
Americas Styrenics, LLC
BASF
Cascades, Inc.
CKF, Inc.
Command Packaging
Convermex
D&W Fine Pack
Dart Container Corporation
Dyne-A-Pak Inc.
Eco-Products Inc.
Fabri- Kal
Genpak, LLC
HAVI Global Solutions
NatureWorks LLC
Pactiv Foodservice/Food Packaging
Solo Cup Company
TOTAL Petrochemicals
WNA/Polar Plastic

Additional members are sought from all parts of the value chain including: raw material suppliers, converters, retailers/operators, waste haulers, recyclers, composters, waste-to-energy facilities, material recovery facilities and processors.

"Many of our members have already taken steps to launch company-specific recovery initiatives, but now is the time to develop sustainable, industry-led solutions across the entire value chain," said Ms. Freiburg. FPI is a key facilitator for the industry, bringing together its members to actively engage in proactive solutions. "The power of this organization lies in its member-directed dedication to the increased recovery of foodservice packaging through the PRG and its counterpart for used paper foodservice packaging, the Paper Recovery Alliance."

For more information on FPI's Plastics Recovery Group, please contact FPI Vice President Natha Freiburg at nfreiburg@fpi.org.

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Founded in 1933, the Foodservice Packaging Institute is the trade association for the North American foodservice packaging industry. FPI encourages the responsible use of all foodservice packaging through promotion of its benefits and members' products, serves as the voice of the industry to educate and influence stakeholders; and provides a legal forum to address the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. For more information, visit www.fpi.org