The U.S. Plastics Pact recently released its Problematic and Unnecessary Materials List of 11 items that are not currently reusable, recyclable, or compostable at scale in the U.S. and are not projected to be kept in a closed loop in practice and at scale by 2025. The list applies exclusively to plastic packaging.

In a nutshell, the goals of the U.S. Plastics Pact, which has more than one hundred businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations as members, are to create a circular economy for plastics, reduce waste, and produce more recycled materials for manufacturers.

No brand wants its packaging to be on a list like this one. Given increased consumer awareness and demand for sustainability, having your packaging on a list described as problematic and unnecessary is never a good thing.

Here is the good news for brands using polypropylene in-mold labeled (IML) packaging – it is not on the list. That is because the entire container can be tossed into the polypropylene recycling stream when you are done with it.

You do not have to separate a paper label from the container before recycling. With IML packaging, the container and the label are both made from the same material and the label is imbedded in the plastic, creating a fully integrated label in one manufacturing step.

This is one major reason CMG Plastics started producing in-mold labeling products more than 20 years ago. Not only are they more visually appealing, durable, and versatile than most other types of packaging, but they are also 100 percent recyclable.

We’re ready to help!

If you would like to discuss how your brand can benefit from in-mold labeling, contact us today.