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Olefins Technical Committee

  • APR Committee Work

    • The Olefins Technical Committee develops and maintains the following for rigid olefin packaging through working group projects, technical studies, and educational materials:

    • Verifying and expanding APR’s Design® Guidance for rigid polyolefin-based packaging by developing and publishing guidance test protocols, encouraging APR members to test and verify design guidance, and urging packaging designers and manufacturers to use these tests to determine recycling compatibility
    • Ensuring that APR’s existing technical tools, such as the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability and bale specifications, are current with regard to rigid polyolefin recycling, adaptable to changes in collection schemes and end markets, and easily accessible
    • Expand APR Design® Recognition criteria to enable packaging designers, producers, and purchasing agents to ensure their products meet the highest criteria for recyclability according to the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability
    • Review and evolve APR model bale specifications based on changes in the MRF stream, sortation technology, markets, and packaging design

    This committee has:

    • Broadened the formats of HDPE Containers from just blow molded containers
    • Expanded the Preferred APR Design® Recognition program to include full packaging constructs for PP and colored HDPE
    • Tightened density guidance to ensure that PP and HDPE containers that reach reclaimers are not lost as waste due to fillers
    • Currently developing elutriation testing standard to ensure consistent and reproducible lab testing globally

    Opportunities to Collaborate

    Join APR members across the value chain working to push rigid polyolefin recycling forward. While Olefins Technical Committee members are chosen via election, working groups carrying out specific projects are typically open to volunteers from the APR membership. If you’re dedicated to overcoming challenges in rigid polyolefin recycling, consider contributing to working group projects such as:

    • Developing APR Design® Guidance for Natural/Clear PP
    • Tightening APR Design® Guidance for polyolefin dispensers on polyolefin packaging to maximize yield and reduce contamination from non-compatible polyolefins
    • Enhancing Natural HDPE guidance and testing protocols
    • Refining and establishing guidance for direct printing on PP and PE rigid packaging
    • Creating a standard “recipe” for elutriation calibration that can be reproduced reliably and accessibly in lab testing
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