Summary
Details
- The United States of America (USA)
- Global
The APR Design® Guide can be used by any stakeholder involved in designing, producing, or managing plastic packaging.
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Background
Plastic recycling systems are sensitive to packaging design choices, with certain materials or features causing contamination or reducing the quality of recycled output. The APR Design® Guide was developed to address these challenges by aligning packaging design with the technical realities of recycling infrastructure.
Over more than three decades, the guide has evolved through a collaborative, industry-led process involving recyclers, packaging manufacturers, and other stakeholders. It is maintained by APR technical committees that evaluate emerging materials and innovations under real-world recycling conditions.
The framework is now widely cited by industry initiatives and has influenced packaging design standards beyond North America, including collaboration with organisations such as RecyClass in Europe.
Assessment criteria
The APR Design® Guide does not require companies to submit reports. Instead, it provides a structured framework for assessing packaging recyclability based on detailed design criteria.
Users evaluate packaging by:
Identifying the primary resin type (e.g. PET, HDPE)
Reviewing each component (labels, inks, adhesives, closures, additives)
Comparing these elements against APR’s recyclability criteria
Determining whether design features are compatible with recycling systems
Each feature is classified according to its impact on recyclability, helping users identify improvements needed to align with industry expectations. The guide also includes test protocols that simulate sorting and reprocessing conditions to validate how specific design choices affect recycling outcomes.
This approach enables companies to optimise packaging design before it enters the waste stream, reducing contamination and improving material recovery rates.
Current status
The APR Design® Guide is actively maintained and updated to reflect changes in packaging formats and recycling systems. As of 2026, updates are issued on a semiannual schedule (March and September), replacing the previous rolling update approach to improve coordination with industry stakeholders and related tools.
The guide is applied through dedicated tools, notably the APR Design® Assessment Tool, which evaluates the recyclability of entire packaging systems against the guide’s criteria. The tool incorporates up-to-date guidance and provides structured assessments to support design decisions and compliance with emerging policy requirements.
The framework continues to be referenced in policy and industry initiatives, including extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and recyclability labelling rules, reinforcing its role as a technical benchmark for plastic packaging design.
Resources
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