ustainability in the performance plastics industry isn’t just about what we make — it’s about the laws and policies that shape how we make it, recycle it and reuse it. IAPD’s 2025 Legislative Agenda is driving that change, ensuring performance plastics remain an essential part of a circular economy.

Public policy is the foundation of a successful sustainability strategy. IAPD’s Government Relations Committee is working to ensure that performance plastics are properly represented in legislative discussions. From securing funding for advanced and mechanical recycling to ensuring clear regulatory frameworks, IAPD’s advocacy is helping to create an environment where innovation thrives, and sustainability goals become realities.

IAPD’s advocacy efforts emphasize educating policymakers on the vital differences between performance plastics and single-use plastics. Performance plastics are engineered for durability and designed to support industries such as healthcare, transportation and electronics. IAPD actively works to counter outdated and inaccurate messaging about plastics from groups promoting competing materials.

Advancing a circular economy through recycling legislation
IAPD supports bipartisan efforts to establish a comprehensive framework to modernize plastics recycling. In part, the legislation will facilitate the development of national plastics recycling standards, ease the EPA permitting process and clarify the advanced/chemical recycling’s legal framework as a manufacturing process.

Achieving these objectives requires continued bipartisan collaboration and engagement with lawmakers to ensure balanced, technology-neutral legislation that fosters innovation.

Support for advanced/chemical and mechanical recycling
The performance plastics industry largely engages in mechanical recycling today. However, it recognizes to truly achieve a circular economy, further investment in the mechanical recycling infrastructure and advanced recycling technologies and infrastructure are needed.

As part of IAPD’s legislative priorities, IAPD supports:

• Promoting the role of advanced/chemical recycling technologies in creating a circular economy.
• Advocating for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to properly classify advanced/chemical recycling as a manufacturing process, preventing unnecessary regulatory barriers.
• Supporting federal funding opportunities for advanced and mechanical recycling infrastructure through initiatives like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
• Reinforcing the environmental benefits of advanced recycling, such as reducing landfill waste and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is increasingly becoming part of the policy landscape at the state level, with current efforts largely focused on single-use plastics. However, it is imperative that the performance plastics industry lean into these conversations, have a seat at the table and get ahead of these issues. Without proactive engagement, the industry risks being included in policies that do not recognize the unique role and needs of performance plastics. The broader plastics industry, through associations like the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), has already recognized that EPR is inevitable. They are working to ensure that the funds generated through EPR programs are directed toward building recycling infrastructure rather than being diverted to unrelated state priorities. Ultimately, the fossil fuel-derived nature of performance plastics makes them a likely future target of such policies. The time to act is now.

Conversations about microplastics are no longer limited to environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Both political parties are engaged in discussions and potential legislation on microplastics. IAPD recognizes the need for more research and scientific studies to fully understand the scope and impact of microplastics. Our advocacy emphasizes the importance of basing decisions on sound science, ensuring that policy development does not outpace the data. IAPD is committed to ensuring that the performance plastics industry has a voice in these critical discussions.

With a new White House administration and Republican control of Congress and the Senate, coupled with a deregulatory environment, there is a unique but limited window of opportunity to be proactive. While this political climate may offer some breathing room, it does not mean the industry is out of the woods. Now is the time for IAPD and its members to advance key priorities before the regulatory pendulum swings in the opposite direction.

As part of broader sustainability efforts, there is growing momentum for recycled content mandates, including discussions around requiring 30% recycled content in plastics by 2030. During recent advocacy efforts, IAPD explained that many performance plastics applications cannot meet these mandates due to strict product specifications, safety codes and industry standards that require the use of virgin materials. Addressing these challenges requires significant legislative and regulatory education. This underscores the importance of member engagement in IAPD’s Government Relations Committee and participation in Congressional Fly-Ins to help educate policymakers on the realities of the industry.

In March 2025, the IAPD Government Relations Leadership Team met with congressional offices, regulatory agencies and industry partners in Washington, D.C., to advance discussions on sustainability policies and regulatory clarity. Common themes from these meetings included:

• A shared interest in modernizing recycling infrastructure.
• Recognition of the need for regulatory certainty to encourage investment in advanced recycling technologies.
• Opportunities for IAPD to collaborate with other associations to advocate for industry-driven Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies that support recycling infrastructure without imposing impractical mandates.

IAPD’s Government Relations Committee has set measurable goals for 2025 to advance the industry’s legislative agenda:

• Secure bipartisan support for recycling legislation that includes clear definitions and protections for advanced recycling technologies.
• Increase IAPD’s advocacy footprint by reaching a total of 55 legislative touchpoints in 2025, including PAC check presentations, Hill meetings and member site visits.
• Grow participation in the IAPD Congressional Fly-In, scheduled for June 23-24, 2025, with a goal of engaging at least 15 IAPD member companies.
• Expand educational outreach efforts to federal agencies, including the EPA and the Department of Transportation, to promote the environmental benefits and essential applications of performance plastics.
• Increase IAPD Plastics PAC fundraising from $32,807 to $35,000 in 2025 to support the association’s legislative efforts.

IAPD’s government relations initiatives are most effective when the collective voice of the industry is heard. Member engagement is essential to ensure that lawmakers understand the critical role performance plastics play in creating a more sustainable future.

Here’s how you can make a difference:

• Join IAPD’s advocacy efforts by participating in the 2025 Congressional Fly-In and sharing your company’s sustainability story directly with policymakers.
• Stay informed on state and federal legislation that impacts the industry and support IAPD’s grassroots advocacy campaigns. Contribute to the IAPD Plastics PAC to help sustain and expand the association’s advocacy work in Washington, D.C.

As the performance plastics industry continues to evolve, IAPD remains committed to ensuring that public policy supports innovation, sustainability and economic growth. By working together, IAPD members can help shape legislation that secures a sustainable and successful future for the entire industry.