Are you confused about plastics recycling? Do you think it is all a fraud?
The ultimate goal of this podcast is to provide a platform for the people that are making recycling and the circularity of plastics a reality. Real people that are making a difference!
We might even debunk a few myths about plastics, or correct the current narrative around plastics.
People choose plastics because of convenience, but we need them to choose plastics because they are a better sustainable packaging option for the environment. Success in these areas will "redefine plastics" in the eyes of consumers.
We need to better express the benefits of plastic products. If we do not connect the "Why" of plastics with our overall messaging, we will continue to be deselected in packaging applications by consumer demand.
Part of the Brave Media Family
#plastics #plasticrecycling #plasticwaste #sustainability #microplastics
Patrick Krieger of the PLASTICS Industry Association
Justin Riney hosts Patrick Krieger, who is the Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Policy at the PLASTICS Industry Association. In this conversation, they dive deep into sustainability, plastics, and creating the change the plastic industry needs to thrive into the future.
The conversation starts with PLASTICS 18-month partnership with the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA) to expand polystyrene recycling access toward its 60% “North Star.” This effort has driven considerable change in the perception of Polystyrene and plastics in general in North America since the group's inception within PLASTICS. They also discussed many of the PSRA's successes thus far, like the US Plastics Pact’s decision to remove EPS transport packaging from its problematic list.
Krieger says sustainability is increasingly embedded in business decisions and argues plastics can offer lower energy, water, and carbon impacts than alternatives while acknowledging challenges like low recycling rates and plastic waste.
They discuss extended producer responsibility (EPR) as a useful tool when “good,” contrasting varied state programs (Oregon, Colorado, California) and warning that poor design can raise costs without improving outcomes. Both stress that better, aggregated, anonymized data is essential to ensure EPR funds build recycling infrastructure and improve rates.
They also address misinformation, science literacy, social media “echo chambers,” and the need for industry-wide advocacy and education initiatives such as Recycling Is Real, Positives of Plastics, and SPE’s Plastivan.
PLASTICS
https://www.plasticsindustry.org/ (https://www.plasticsindustry.org/)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkkrieger/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkkrieger/)
Positives of Plastics
https://positivesofplastic.org/ (https://positivesofplastic.org/)
Recycling is Real
https://recyclingisreal.org/ (https://recyclingisreal.org/)
SPE's Plastivan
https://www.4spe.org/speplastivan/ (https://www.4spe.org/speplastivan/)
PSRA
https://psrecycling.org/ (https://psrecycling.org/)
Redefining Plastics
https://www.redefiningplastics.com/ (https://www.redefiningplastics.com/)
https://rss.com/podcasts/redefining-plastics-with-justin-riney (https://rss.com/podcasts/redefining-plastics-with-justin-riney) https://www.instagram.com/redefining_plastics/ (https://www.instagram.com/redefining_plastics/)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-riney-mba-67685940/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-riney-mba-67685940/) https://youtube.com/@redefiningplastics?si=KvG4dTvY1lALbwIm (https://youtube.com/@redefiningplastics?si=KvG4dTvY1lALbwIm)
20 Oct 2026
Recycling Collaboration, EPR, and Building End Markets with PLASTICS Industry Association
This was the third episode recorded at the National Plastics Conference (NPC), and the NPC Live podcast studio onsite. Thanks again to PLASTICS for having Redefining Plastics at the conference and all of their support.
In this episode, Justin Riney hosts Kelly Alvarado (Director of Sustainability, Anchor Packaging) and Andy Brewer (Director of Sustainability and Recycling, Plastics Industry Association) to discuss a new Polypropylene recycled bale study led by PLASTICS, recycling advocacy, collaboration, and EPR policy.
Alvarado argues there is no “evil material,” emphasizing plastics’ role in food packaging and waste prevention, while Brewer describes Plastics’ member base and how its recycling committee and end-market programs connect the full plastics supply chain. This collaboration is key to solving any of the problems the plastics industry faces today.
The group discusses EPR as a valid approach to fund infrastructure but warns against rushing implementation and inconsistent “rates and dates,” citing Oregon depots and a polypropylene bale study project in Colorado. They stress improving consumer trust through public tours of plastic facilities, transparency, and positive feedback.
We loved this conversation and hope that you will learn something from their expertise.
PLASTICS
https://www.plasticsindustry.org/ (https://www.plasticsindustry.org/)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbrewer1/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbrewer1/)
Anchor Packaging
https://www.anchorpackaging.com/ (https://www.anchorpackaging.com/)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellie-6a05624/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellie-6a05624/)
National Plastics Conference
https://nationalplasticsconference.org/ (https://nationalplasticsconference.org/)
Redefining Plastics
https://www.redefiningplastics.com/ (https://www.redefiningplastics.com/)
https://rss.com/podcasts/redefining-plastics-with-justin-riney (https://rss.com/podcasts/redefining-plastics-with-justin-riney) https://www.instagram.com/redefining_plastics/ (https://www.instagram.com/redefining_plastics/)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-riney-mba-67685940/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-riney-mba-67685940/) https://youtube.com/@redefiningplastics?si=KvG4dTvY1lALbwIm (https://youtube.com/@redefiningplastics?si=KvG4dTvY1lALbwIm)
6 Oct 2026
NAPCOR’s PET Bottle Decarbonization Roadmap with Husky’s Jolene Milne (NPC Live)
At NPC Live, Redefining Plastics host Justin Riney speaks with Jolene Milne, a sustainability analyst at Husky Technologies and member of NAPCOR, about industry collaboration to combat misinformation about plastics and expand recycling.
Milne explains her role in sustainability advocacy and how associations like NAPCOR and the Plastics Industry Association unite stakeholders around accurate messaging. She highlights NAPCOR’s newly released PET bottle decarbonization roadmap (through 2050), which outlines an achievable path to cut PET bottle emissions intensity in the U.S. by 57% (42% when accounting for growth), with major reductions driven by lightweighting, renewable energy, and manufacturing efficiencies.
They also discuss translating technical sustainability concepts for consumers, bringing more young women into plastics through STEM and mentorship, and Husky’s injection molding systems, PET package innovations (PET closures, label-less bottles), and the industry's ability to process up to 100% rPET.
NAPCOR, HUSKY, and Jolene Milne
Jolene Milne LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolene-milne-a0516728b/?isSelfProfile=false (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolene-milne-a0516728b/?isSelfProfile=false)
PET Forward Decarbonization Roadmap and all supplementary materials - https://napcor.com/sustainability/ (https://napcor.com/sustainability/)
About NAPCOR - https://napcor.com/what-is-napcor/ (https://napcor.com/what-is-napcor/)
About Husky Technologies - https://www.husky.co/en/about-us/ (https://www.husky.co/en/about-us/)
More Information about PET - https://positivelypet.org/ (https://positivelypet.org/)
National Plastics Conference
https://nationalplasticsconference.org/ (https://nationalplasticsconference.org/)
Polystyrene Recycling Alliance
https://psrecycling.org/ (https://psrecycling.org/)
Redefining Plastics
https://www.redefiningplastics.com/ (https://www.redefiningplastics.com/)
https://rss.com/podcasts/redefining-plastics-with-justin-riney (https://rss.com/podcasts/redefining-plastics-with-justin-riney) https://www.instagram.com/redefining_plastics/ (https://www.instagram.com/redefining_plastics/)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-riney-mba-67685940/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-riney-mba-67685940/) https://youtube.com/@redefiningplastics?si=KvG4dTvY1lALbwIm (https://youtube.com/@redefiningplastics?si=KvG4dTvY1lALbwIm)
Inside a recent episode
"Shattering the Plastics Illusion" with Dr. Chris DeArmitt
Published 29 Apr 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] But it isn't. If you add up bottles, bags and straws, it's 0 .03 % by weight of ocean plastic. So it's already a low amount, incredibly low. And 0 .03 % is bottles, plastics and straws. And what and not course shown to cause any harm at all. There's no study showing any harm to wildlife from it because the amounts are so small. But what's harming wildlife, ironically, is nets, which is up to 85 % is discarded fishing nets and fishing gear. It's harming whales. It's harming turtles. It's harming birds. It's harming fish. That is the majority, the huge majority. And this United Nations Inc. 5 thing plans to completely ignore what causes a harm. […]
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