Freedonia Focus Reports

US Collection

Recycled PET:
United States

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November 2012

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Highlights

Industry Overview
Recycled Plastics Overview | PET Demand & Collection | Market Segmentation | Trade
Plastic Recycling Processes & Technology | Regulatory & Legislative Environment

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Demand Forecasts
Market Environment | Market Forecasts

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Resources

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Industry Structure
Industry Composition | Industry Leaders | Additional Major Companies Cited
www.freedoniafocus.com

Recycled PET: United States

ABOUT THIS REPORT

Scope and Method

This report forecasts US post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
demand in pounds to 2016. Post-consumer recycled plastics are defined as plastic
products that, having served their end use, are reclaimed and reprocessed into basic
resins. By this definition, recycling of finished PET by commercial and industrial
consumers is also included. Captive production and use of recycled plastic in the
manufacture of products such as carpet, plastic lumber, and containers are included in
demand as well. Total demand is segmented by market in terms of:

packaging
construction
motor vehicles and other markets.

The re-use and recycling of plastic scrap and trimmings from manufacturing processes
and merchant sales of these products are considered post-industrial recycling and are
excluded. Reclaimed plastics that are not reprocessed into base resin form, such as
shredded plastic foam and carpet padding, are not considered recycled plastics and are
also excluded.
To illustrate historical trends, total demand for all types of recycled plastic is provided in
an annual series from 2001 to 2011; the various recycled PET segments are reported at
five-year intervals for 2006 and 2011. Forecasts emanate from the identification and
analysis of pertinent statistical relationships and other historical trends/events as well as
their expected progression/impact over the forecast period. Changes in quantities
between reported years of a given total or segment are typically provided in terms of
five-year compound annual growth rates (CAGRs). For the sake of brevity, forecasts are
generally stated in smoothed CAGR-based descriptions to the forecast year, such as
demand is projected to rise 3.2% annually through 2016. The result of any particular
year over that period, however, may exhibit volatility and depart from a smoothed, longterm trend, as historical data typically illustrate.
Key macroeconomic indicators are also provided at five-year intervals with CAGRs for
the years corresponding to other reported figures. Other various topics, including
profiles of pertinent leading suppliers, are covered in this report. A full outline of report
items by page is available in the Table of Contents.

Sources
Recycled PET: United States is based on Recycled Plastics, a comprehensive industry
study published by The Freedonia Group in November 2012. Reported findings
represent the synthesis of data from various primary, secondary, macroeconomic, and

2012 by The Freedonia Group, Inc.

Recycled PET: United States

demographic sources including:

firms participating in the industry

government/public agencies
national, regional, and international non-governmental organizations
trade associations and their publications
the business and trade press
The Freedonia Group Consensus Forecasts dated August 2012
the findings of other industry studies by The Freedonia Group.

Specific sources and additional resources are listed in the Resources section of this
publication for reference and to facilitate further research.

Industry Codes
The topic of this report is related to the following industry codes:
NAICS/SCIAN 2007
North American Industry Classification System

SIC
Standard Industry Codes

325211

2821

325991
326160
326199

Plastics Material and Resin

Manufacturing
Custom Compounding of Purchased
Resins
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
All Other Plastics Product
Manufacturing

3085
3087
3089

Plastics Materials, Synthetic Resins, and

Nonvulcanizable Elastomers
Plastics Bottles
Custom Compounding of Purchased
Plastics Resins
Plastics Products, NEC

Copyright and Licensing

The full report is protected by copyright laws of the United States of America and
international treaties. The entire contents of the publication are copyrighted by The
Freedonia Group, Inc.

2012 by The Freedonia Group, Inc.

Recycled PET: United States

Table of Contents
Section

Page

Highlights....................................................................................................................................................... 1
Industry Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Recycled Plastics Overview ..................................................................................................................... 2
Chart 1 | United States: Recycled Plastics Demand Trends, 2001-2011 ........................................... 3
PET Demand & Collection ....................................................................................................................... 4
Market Segmentation ............................................................................................................................... 6
Chart 2 | United States: Recycled PET Demand by Market, 2011 ..................................................... 6
Packaging. .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Construction. ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Motor Vehicle & Other Markets. ......................................................................................................... 8
Trade ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
Chart 3 | United States: Recycled Plastic Trade, 2011 (million pounds) .......................................... 10
Plastic Recycling Processes & Technology ........................................................................................... 11
Regulatory & Legislative Environment ................................................................................................... 12
Demand Forecasts ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Market Environment ............................................................................................................................... 13
Table 1 | United States: Key Indicators for Recycled PET Demand (billion 2005 dollars) ............... 13
Market Forecasts ................................................................................................................................... 14
Table 2 | United States: Recycled PET Demand by Market (million pounds) .................................. 14
Packaging. ........................................................................................................................................ 14
Construction. ..................................................................................................................................... 15
Motor Vehicle & Other Markets. ....................................................................................................... 16
Industry Structure ........................................................................................................................................ 17
Industry Composition ............................................................................................................................. 17
Industry Leaders .................................................................................................................................... 18
Mohawk Industries Incorporated ...................................................................................................... 18
Plastipak Holdings Incorporated ....................................................................................................... 19
The Coca-Cola Company Incorporated ............................................................................................ 20
Additional Major Companies Cited ........................................................................................................ 21
Resources ................................................................................................................................................... 22
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PDF bookmarks are also available for navigation.

2012 by The Freedonia Group, Inc.