Unlocking the future of plastic recycling: A call to action

We all know the disheartening truth: Currently, only 5-6% of plastics are actually recycled in the U.S.¹ Not surprisingly then, as our ongoing Pulse studies reveal, only 29% of people in this country are extremely confident that what they put in the recycling bin actually gets recycled; 32% are not. 

And as the Shelton Stat above illustrates, people are really worried about their packaging winding up in the environment. For years, we’ve seen that Americans are more concerned about plastics in the ocean than they are about any other environmental issue we test — 63% of Americans, in fact, describe themselves as feeling “very” to “extremely” concerned about plastics in the ocean. So it’s not surprising that people in America overwhelmingly believe companies bear "some" to "very much" responsibility for the end-of-life disposal of their products.  

And, interestingly, a whopping 92% of those folks would feel "somewhat" to "entirely" better about plastics if they were simply easier to reuse² (and for most, “reuse” likely encompasses “recycling”). 

It's clear that people want to stop the plastic waste crisis, but they're often confused, overwhelmed, demotivated or simply unaware of how to properly recycle plastic. As a sustainability-focused marketing communications firm that has spent the last two decades turning insights into communications, we think we need to identify the biggest true barriers to recycling plastics and then craft campaigns and programs to overcome those barriers and motivate people to recycle their plastics.  

That’s why we’re partnering with the U.S. Plastics Pact to gather the market insights we need to understand the true emotional barriers to recycling, build a plan for how to overcome them, and launch that plan in the market.  

We think the timing here is pretty important. Some Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation calls for increased plastics recycling rates — but currently, consumers don’t have any incentive to recycle. We need to understand what will motivate them. Further, we don’t think any brand will be able to declare victory and get full credit for high recycled content or achieving 100% recyclability of their packaging if recycling rates don’t actually increase. The court of public opinion will call BS. 

We’re actively looking for organizations throughout the plastics packaging value chain to join us in this effort. 

Our three-phased research approach will delve into the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that prevent Americans from properly recycling. We'll start with an ethnographic exploration of real consumer experiences to generate hypotheses and then test those ideas across a nationally representative sample. Our goal is to understand the target consumer and their mental models about plastic recycling, develop insights for potential messaging that can shift perceptions and behaviors, and ultimately create a robust awareness campaign plan. 

This work will form the foundation for an awareness campaign that will move the needle on American recycling behavior. We envision a strategic and efficient communications plan that can be refined and measured for ongoing behavior change year-over-year, much like our Canned Good campaign did for the steel food can. 

We're building a coalition of brands, industry organizations, retailers and more to fund this work. Is your organization interested? As a sponsoring coalition member, you'll have a unique opportunity to shape the strategic direction of the ultimate campaign based on the insights data we uncover. And you’ll get to be part of credible, brand-led research and demonstrate a serious commitment to changing consumer behavior. Let's work together to motivate Americans to recycle their plastics and put a dent in the plastic waste crisis. Reach out to george.brigandi@erm.com to learn more.  

^[1] MIT Technology Review. (2023, October 12). Think that your plastic is being recycled? Think again. https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/10/12/1081129/plastic-recycling-climate-change-microplastics/   

^[2] Global Eco Pulse^® 2024: How concerned are you about the following issues right now? - Plastics in oceans/rivers/streams. USA n=2,063; Recycling Pulse 2022: How much, if any, would the following changes help relieve your concern about plastic? - If plastics were easier to reuse. n=1,001