PET Thermoform Recycling Reaches Record High, but Circularity Challenges Remain
Two recent articles explore findings from NAPCOR’s 2024 PET Thermoform Market Analysis, including record PET thermoform recovery and the economic, technical, and policy changes needed to build a more circular market.
PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is the clear, lightweight plastic identified by the number 1 inside the triangle on a package. PET thermoforms—including trays, clamshells, cups, and tubs—are widely used for food, medical, and consumer packaging. In 2024, an estimated 264 million pounds of PET thermoforms were recovered for recycling in the US and Canada, the highest volume NAPCOR has recorded.
Yet recovery is only one part of circularity. Thermoform converters purchased more than 2.05 billion pounds of PET feedstock in 2024, but post-consumer recycled PET (rPET) accounted for just 11.5% of those purchases, down from 16.9% in 2023. Virgin, or new, PET represented 79.2% of total feedstock purchased.
Why Aren’t More PET Thermoforms Recycled Into New Thermoforms?
Most recovered PET thermoforms are processed alongside PET bottles rather than through dedicated thermoform recycling streams. This gives PET thermoforms access to an established recycling system, but higher concentrations can create yield losses, quality concerns, and added costs for mechanical reclaimers.
Food and foodservice packaging—approximately 79% of reported PET thermoform sales—also use less recycled content on average than non-food and non-medical applications. Although the technology exists to produce food-contact rPET from recovered thermoforms, the additional processing can make broader adoption costly.
Waste360: Policy and Technology Can Help Close the Gap
In “NAPCOR Reports PET Thermoform Recovery Reaches Record High, While Challenges Persist,” Waste360 examines how artificial intelligence-supported sorting, robotics, optical sortation, dedicated thermoform bales, and chemical recycling could expand outlets for recovered thermoforms.
The article also explores how recycled-content requirements and incentives for non-bottle rigid packaging could strengthen demand for domestically recycled PET and support continued investment in North American recycling infrastructure.
Packaging World: Recovery Alone Cannot Deliver Circularity
“PET Thermoform Recovery Rises, but Circularity Gap Widens” from Packaging World takes a closer look at processing challenges, recycled-content demand, and package design.
Look-alike packaging made from other resins, aggressive adhesives, labels, and other components can introduce contamination and affect the quality of the entire PET bale. Designing thermoforms in accordance with industry guidance can help improve recyclability and reduce processing challenges.
Packaging World also highlights a growing concern across the North American PET recycling market: companies can meet recycled-content goals with imported rPET without supporting the domestic recycling system that collects and processes PET packaging.
What Will Improve PET Thermoform Circularity?
Turning record recovery into greater circularity will require:
- Packaging designed for existing PET recycling systems
- Investment in sorting and processing technology
- More outlets for recovered PET thermoforms
- Greater use of recycled content, particularly in food-contact packaging
- Strong, dependable demand for PET recovered and processed in North America
- Policies that support domestic recycling infrastructure and end markets
The 2024 recovery milestone shows that more PET thermoforms are entering the recycling stream. Ensuring that this material returns to productive use will require coordinated action across the PET value chain, from design and collection to processing, purchasing, and policy.
Read the complete 2024 PET Thermoform Market Analysis and other NAPCOR reports.
