At a Glance
- The U.S. Plastics Pact set ambitious 2025 goals, but many depended on recycling infrastructure and end markets that simply weren’t ready, creating a gap between commitments and reality.
- Recycling rates and access to food-grade recycled content proved to be the biggest obstacles, not a lack of intent from participating companies.
- Some brands stepped back to avoid the reputational risk of missing highly visible sustainability promises made under public pressure.
- The Pact is now shifting toward more achievable, systems-based targets that prioritize real progress over headline-driven goals.
View the U.S. Plastics Pact Roadmap to 2025
In the food business, we can talk about sustainability until we’re green in the face (get it?). One day, you’re using the same packaging you’ve trusted for years, and the next, you’re hearing about new initiatives and changing regulations.
The U.S. Plastics Pact keeps coming up in conversations. Maybe your packaging supplier mentioned it, a retail partner asked about your compliance, or you’re just trying to stay ahead of where the industry is heading.
Now that the year has drawn to a close, it’s worth looking at the expectations set forth by The U.S. Plastics Pact for 2025. How did everyone do? Okay. Are the results bad? Not necessarily. Is it the greatest thing since tamper evidence? No. But it’s evolving, learning from early missteps, and focusing on what’s actually achievable.
To unpack the real story behind the findings, we spoke with Conor Carlin, Founder and President of Clefs Advisory, LLC, and 2024 President of the Society of Plastics Engineers. A recognized leader in sustainable packaging and former North American GM at ILLIG, Conor brings deep expertise in materials, recycling, advanced manufacturing technologies, and environmental policy at the intersection of packaging innovation and sustainability.
This article breaks down what it’s really about, why some early targets missed the mark, and how food businesses can think strategically about packaging decisions moving forward without anyone’s faces turning strange colors.
What Exactly Is the U.S. Plastics Pact?
Let’s take a moment to review: Think of the U.S. Plastics Pact as a coalition of brands, retailers, and packaging companies working together to reduce plastic waste. These member companies, called “activators,” commit to specific targets around reducing plastic’s impact on the environment.
They’re figuring out how to fund better collection, sorting, and recycling systems, who’s responsible for what, how to set realistic goals, and where recycled materials will actually be used.
These activators are typically large U.S. companies with significant legal and operations teams — established brands making public commitments about their packaging. And that’s where things get interesting (this is the part where you raise an eyebrow).
What the Findings Reveal
The U.S. Plastics Pact released its strategic priorities report for 2025-2026, with some interesting findings and goals on EPR, chemical recycling, and the Reuse in Retail Initiative — all fascinating areas (and more content on them to come!). But let’s focus on something that really stood out: The targets.
The Pact set big goals for 2025: Eliminate “problematic” packaging, make all plastic recyclable or compostable, boost recycling rates, and use 30% recycled content. Lots of companies signed on, which sounds great — except there’s one tiny problem.
Okay, it’s not tiny. It’s huge.
These goals depend on stuff companies can’t actually control, like America’s messy patchwork of collection, sorting, and recycling systems. Not to mention the shortage of buyers for recycled materials. So there’s now a growing gap between what companies promised and what they can actually deliver.
The biggest headaches? Recycling rates and recycled content. Just because a package can be recycled doesn’t mean it will be. Plus, getting clean, food-safe recycled plastic is expensive and hard to find.
Due to a lack of serious policy changes, major infrastructure upgrades, and system-wide fixes, many companies missed these 2025 targets. Not because they didn’t care, but because the recycling system was (and is) still stuck in the past, while the goals were living in the future. Let’s take a closer look at what actually went a little wonky.
The Ambition Problem (And Why It’s Actually Okay)
Let’s be honest: When the Pact launched, some targets were wildly ambitious. Companies pledged that “50% of their packaging would be recyclable, reusable, or compostable” by dates that seemed reasonable (even for 2030) but proved impossible given existing infrastructure.
When reality set in, several big-name activators quietly dropped out. They wouldn’t hit their goals, and the optics of publicly failing weren’t great.
Was this embarrassing? Maybe. But here’s the other side: If you don’t stretch your goals, you never push boundaries. Without ambitious targets, it’s easy to coast along, making tiny changes that don’t really move the needle.
The key is accepting that failure is part of innovation. When something doesn’t work, you figure out what went wrong and adjust. That’s happening now. The Pact is recalibrating, setting more achievable milestones, and focusing on areas where real progress is possible.
Why Some Companies Stepped Back
When major brands left the Pact, the bigger concern was brand risk. After the Blue Planet documentary, brands felt enormous pressure to be publicly visible about sustainability. If you weren’t saying something, consumers assumed you were part of the problem — especially if you felt nothing when you saw baby seals playing in polluted waters.
What happens when you make big public promises and can’t deliver? Consumer cynicism. And cynicism can turn into backlash, threatening brand equity and customer loyalty.
What “Responsible End Markets” Actually Means
One of the Pact’s priority areas is “Responsible End Markets.” It’s asking a crucial question: Who’s going to buy all this recycled material once it’s processed? Hint: It won’t be up for auction on Antiques Roadshow.
You can build the best recycling infrastructure in the world, but if there’s no demand for recycled content, the system falls apart. Material piles up with nowhere to go, and prices tank.
In theory, free markets don’t guarantee demand for recycled materials — but in practice, many states now do. Minimum recycled content laws (such as those passed in New Jersey) require companies to purchase recycled resin to meet legally binding thresholds.
Even with these mandates, uncertainty remains. Without stable, long-term demand signals, recyclers and processors are hesitant to invest in the advanced technology needed to improve quality and scale supply. That’s where initiatives like the Pact come in — working to strengthen both sides of the market by supporting recycled content policy and promoting responsible end markets. It’s complex, difficult work, but essential if recycled materials are going to function at scale.
Setting Achievable Targets That Actually Drive Progress
So what does “achievable” look like?
Smaller wins build momentum. They prove what’s possible, identify real barriers, and create success stories that encourage broader adoption. The alternative — setting impossible goals and failing publicly — breeds cynicism that undermines the entire effort.
The Pact seems to be moving in this direction: Escalating targets that push progress without requiring magic. It’s not as headline-worthy, but it’s more likely to actually work.
Pact-ionable Change
The U.S. Plastics Pact is a positive initiative with noble intentions of creating a real environmental impact. When businesses miss their targets, it can lead to skepticism about the system. Still, it’s crucial to keep a positive outlook. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a functional recycling infrastructure.
So what does this mean for your business? Keep track of where things are going. Understand true constraints and opportunities. Make packaging decisions based on reliable information, not just marketing hype — even if the eco-friendly font is appealing.
Sources like the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, the Association of Plastic Recyclers, and the U.S. Plastics Pact’s website can help you stay in the know.
Talk to your packaging suppliers about material options. Understand the performance requirements of your products. Be honest about what trade-offs you’re willing to make.
The companies navigating this well aren’t claiming perfection or posting dramatic Instagram stories about saving the oceans. They’re asking good questions, testing solutions, learning from what doesn’t work, and being transparent about their reasoning.
That approach won’t make splashy headlines. But it builds the kind of trust and credibility that actually lasts — with customers, retail partners, and the people who ultimately buy your products.
The Plastics Pact is evolving, and so is the broader sustainability landscape. The Pact recently released its Roadmap 2.0, outlining goals for 2026. How will it do this time around? Let’s cross our polymers and hope for the best! Because spoiler alert: It’s our planet and we’re all in this together.
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Would you like to know more about Conor Carlin and his work at Clefs Advisory LLC? Connect with him on LinkedIn today.
