US plastic packaging makers campaign to improve PET's image

Plastic packaging producers have teamed up in a promotional campaign to tout the value of using plastic.

Manufacturers that use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have partnered for a campaign in the US to highlight what they call the “sustainability advantages” of the packaging material, while also raising awareness of the importance of recycling.

A sample of the information campaign materials.

They have teamed up for an episode of Public Television’s Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid and a series of national commercials that will air on cable television.

“The importance of debunking misconceptions of PET packaging and addressing the environmental advantages of PET containers is more important than ever,” said Laura Stewart, executive director, National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR).

“This program offered us an excellent opportunity to reach a broad audience with a critical message – based in facts – that has been getting lost amid misinformation.”

According to Stewart, two recent lifecycle assessments, including one by McKinsey & Company, show PET to be an environmentally responsible packaging solution that can significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, smog and acid rain compared to other primary beverage packaging materials.”

The program includes Stewart, along with Eric Roegner, president, Amcor Rigid Packaging; Charlotte Dreizen, director, sustainability and environment, PLASTICS; Matt Daum, director, Michigan State University School of Packaging and assistant dean of corporate relations and strategy for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR); Sally Houghton, executive director, Plastic Recycling Corporation of California (PRCC); and Kristin Kelley, vice-president, corporate communications and external affairs, Amcor Rigid Packaging.

The five-minute video presentation, showcasing the facts about PET containers and the importance of recycling, will be in rotation on cable TV for the next year.

Additionally, a sixty-second commercial will be broadcast 400 times across the top 100 United States media markets through the end of August.

“The opportunity to tell the circularity story of the PET bottle – from design to manufacturing, into the hands of the consumer and then recycling it again and again and again – is something we believe is critical for our industry and critical for the health of our planet,” Roegner said.

“PET packaging plays a pivotal role in our daily lives by preserving and protecting our food, packaging, and transporting goods, and ensuring the secure and effective delivery of medicine. Additionally, PET is 100 recyclable and can be made from 100 percent recycled material.”

Amcor develops and produces packaging for various industries, including food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home and personal-care, and more.