Dive Brief:

• The Society of the Plastics Industry has changed its name to the Plastics Industry Association with the tagline “Better Industry. Better World," as reported by Plastics News.
• The group has also changed its logo and noted it does not want to be referred to as an acronym. Its new logo is meant to show the connection between the six parts of the plastics supply chain: brand owners, equipment manufacturers, material suppliers, moldmakers, processors and recyclers. 
• Since it was founded in 1937, the association has evolved beyond its original membership of sales professionals. According to them, the U.S. plastics industry is now worth $418 billion and employs nearly one million people.

Dive Insight:

Prior to the name change, the Plastics Industry Association had been active on the recycling front this year with multiple initiatives. In August, the association recognized the first company in its new Zero Net Waste program aimed at landfill diversion from manufacturing facilities. It also launched the Automotive End-of-Life Vehicles Recycling Demonstration Project in partnership with other groups to expand the recovery of plastics from vehicles.

Overall consumption by value appears to be at a record high and a trade surplus was reported in September. The uncertain future of trade policies with countries such as China and Mexico under the incoming Trump administration make it tough to predict what 2017 holds for the industry.

Domestically, trade associations can be expected to continue focusing on recovery methods to get the most out of the waste stream and new ways to promote the value of their products. While the majority of U.S. residents now have access to some form of plastic recycling, the recovery rates and resulting litter remain an issue for certain products. Some environmental groups see this as a reason to ban or limit the use of certain plastic products.