An “advanced recycling” bill making its way through Congress could impact Indiana’s plastics manufacturing sector, which employs more than 36,000 workers in the state.
That’s according to an analysis of plastics manufacturing industry data released by America’s Plastic Makers (APM).
Advanced recycling refers to manufacturing technologies that convert used plastics into raw materials that can be reused to make new products, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states. The process is designed to handle certain plastics that are more difficult to recycle through traditional methods and is increasingly being explored as a way to expand recycling capacity and recover materials that might otherwise go to landfills.
Lawmakers are considering H.R. 7502, the “Recycled Materials Attribution Act,” introduced Feb. 12 by U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY-23), which would establish a federal framework for recycled-content marketing claims and direct the Federal Trade Commission to update its Green Guides.
The legislation was introduced with bipartisan support from five Republican and five Democratic original cosponsors.
Langworthy said the legislation would create “a uniform national standard that protects consumers from misleading claims while giving American manufacturers the certainty they need to invest, innovate, and compete.”
The plastics manufacturing industry employs 36,500 people in Indiana across 480 facilities at an average wage of $62,340, according to APM.
Plastics manufacturers in the state include Brightmark, Dow Silicones Corporation, Amcor, Covestro, LLC, NPX, Sealed Air, LyondellBassell Chemical, and Pregis.
“The RMAA would establish regulatory and/or economic certainty for businesses across the recycling value chain,” wrote Ross Eisenberg, president of APM, in a blog post. “Recycled content marketing claims are subject to multiple, sometimes contradictory state laws. A consistent national framework can help recycling systems scale efficiently and encourage U.S. investment in recycled materials and recycling infrastructure.”
An economic analysis released by APM found that redirecting 50% of plastics in the municipal solid waste stream from landfills to recycling facilities could support 173,200 jobs, $12.8 billion in annual payroll, and $48.7 billion in annual economic output nationwide.
The same analysis projected that recycling facilities alone would directly generate $16.4 billion in economic output and support more than 43,000 direct jobs nationwide.
During an April hearing on the EPA’s fiscal year 2027 budget, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin discussed advanced non-mechanical recycling technologies and the agency’s regulatory approach, according to theToledo Reporter.
“This is something that we need to be leaning into more as a country,” Zeldin said. “There’s a lot of advanced recycling projects that are getting ramped up in Europe, they’re getting ramped up in Asia, and we have not for years been heading in the right direction as far as advanced recycling.”
“There’s a way through advanced recycling where you can take plastic, instead of sending it to a landfill, you can now break it down to its raw chemical compound,” Zeldin said. “I think that’s a heck of a lot better than sending this plastic to a landfill to instead put it to good use.”
APM is a division of the American Chemistry Council representing companies involved in plastics manufacturing and the plastics supply chain. The organization has supported legislation and policies related to plastics recycling, recycled-material standards, and advanced recycling technologies.
