Extrusion International 6-2025-USA

28 Extrusion International 6/2025 28 INDUSTRY NEWS Plastic Recycling Week The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) celebrated Plastic Recy- cling Week from November 10-16, reaf rming the industry’s ongoing commitment to promoting recycling efforts across the United States. This weeklong observance provides an im- portant opportunity to spotlight the progress, innovations, and partner- ships driving a more circular economy for plastics. Throughout Plastic Recycling Week, PLASTICS collaborated with industry partners to share key messages about recycling progress, challenges, and opportunities to enhance the recy- cling system across the U.S. “From local sanitation workers and small businesses to large-scale recy- clers and manufacturers, the people and organizations behind recycling are driving innovation, strengthen- ing infrastructure, and keeping valu- able materials in circulation,” said PLASTICS President and CEO Matt Seaholm. “Plastic Recycling Week is a time to recognize the impact re- cycling has on our environment and our economy each and every day. The plastics industry is proud to support efforts and invest in solutions that ad- vance a more circular economy.” “Recycling is essential to building a more sustainable future – where ma- terials are thoughtfully used and recy- cled, waste is minimized, and our envi- ronment is protected,” said PLASTICS Senior Vice President of Sustainabil- ity and Policy Patrick Krieger. “Across the U.S., innovative solutions – from product design to cutting-edge sor- tation and recycling solutions – make plastic materials more sustainable and improve how they’re recovered and repurposed. The plastics industry is proud to be part of this process – Plastic Recycling Week showcased its importance and helps shape a more sustainable future.” For more information: www.plasticsindustry.org/ plastics-recycling-week Operation Clean Sweep Recognizes Difference Maker Award Recipients at OCS CON 2025 Operation Clean Sweep®, a glob- ally recognized resin stewardship program jointly administered by the Plastics Industry Association (PLAS- TICS) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC)‘s Plastics Division, an- nounced the recipients of the 2025 Difference Maker Awards at this year’s OCS CON in Indianapolis, Indiana. The OCS Difference Maker Award rec- ognizes individual and organizational champions who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to making zero resin loss a top priority. This year, ve recipients were recog - nized for their outstanding commit- ment to the goals of OCS: OCS Blue Member Category: Chev- ron Phillips Chemical – Commended for robust internal efforts, including the Heel Recovery Project and a nota- ble reduction of spills within facilities. OCS Logistics Member Category: Frontier Logistics – Recognized for pro- active and innovative strategies to ad- dress resin loss – particularly in railcar washing – through implementation of air-based cleaning technology. OCS Base Tier Member Category: GEON Performance Solutions – Hon- ored for raising the bar on operational excellence and embedding resin loss prevention into day-to-day operations. Individual Corporate Category: Inge Duran (Director of Quality Assurance, Packwell) – Recognized for develop- ing comprehensive procedures and management protocols at Packwell, and for establishing a cross-functional team dedicated to advancing resin loss prevention. Individual Facility Category: Mike Lever (Raw Material Manager, Plas- tipak) – Honored for his dedication to resin loss prevention and his continued initiative to enhance OCS measures at Plastipak through creative, solutions- driven approaches. „The recipients of this year’s OCS Difference Maker Awards represent the pinnacle of what our industry can achieve when resin loss preven- tion is embraced at every level,” said Patrick Krieger, Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Policy at PLAS- TICS. “From innovative technologies to cross-functional teamwork and process improvements, these indi- viduals and organizations are dem- onstrating signi cant leadership in environmental responsibility. Their efforts not only strengthen their own operations but also inspire broader change across the value chain and in the communities where they oper- ate. We’re proud to honor their com- mitment to continuous improvement and leadership in driving us closer to our shared goal of zero resin loss.“ “This year’s recipients are shining examples that our industry is lead- ing the way with practical and ef- fective solutions,” said Adam Peer, Senior Director of Plastics Sustain- ability at ACC. “Real sustainability and environmental stewardship be- gins with innovative efforts that in- spire us to drive toward our goals.” Hosted by Operation Clean Sweep, OCS CON brings the full plastic value chain together in efforts towards eliminating the loss of plastic resin to the environment. This event incu- bates and ampli es solutions to resin loss, ranging from introductions to groundbreaking technology to com- prehensive culture change strategies. In addition to diverse panels, expert dialogues, and tours, OCS CON un- locks opportunities to collaborate with industry partners and experts to keep plastic within the circular econ- omy and out of the environment. This year’s event took place fromOcto- ber 15-17, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indi- ana. For more information: https://www.ocscon.org