The shift to a more sustainable future in the plastics and packaging industry is undeniably tied to recycling innovation. While mechanical recycling has long been the primary method for reprocessing plastics, its limitations are driving the rise of advanced (chemical) recycling. This innovative process is reshaping how we view the end cycle of plastics, offering the capability to create higher-quality recycled materials while addressing challenges that mechanical recycling often can’t resolve.

Chemical recycling isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a game-changer. But why is it such a big deal for consumers, businesses, and environmentalists alike? Let’s break it down.

What is Chemical Recycling?

Unlike mechanical recycling, which uses physical processes like shredding and melting, chemical recycling leverages science to break down polymer chains into their basic building blocks (monomers or hydrocarbons). These can then be repurposed into virgin-quality plastics or other products, reducing the need for extracting new resources.

There are three main types of chemical recycling processes:

• Purification (Dissolution): Removes contaminants without altering polymer structures.
• Depolymerization: Breaks plastics into monomers, suitable for creating new polymers.
• Conversion (Pyrolysis & Gasification): Converts plastics into hydrocarbons for reuse.

This sophisticated approach allows materials contaminated or unsuited for mechanical recycling to have a new life.

The Benefits of Chemical Recycling

When it comes to using recycled materials in packaging, chemical recycling stands as a complementary solution to traditional methods. Here’s why key stakeholders in the plastics and packaging industries are paying attention to it:

1. High-Quality Output for Challenging Applications

One of the main challenges with mechanically recycled plastics is contamination. Even when food-grade quality is achieved, tiny visible or tactile imperfections—such as specks or streaks in the material—can be off-putting to consumers. These imperfections can also lead to issues around print quality and machinability. While some brands lean into this aesthetic as a badge of sustainability, others find it unsuitable for their premium image.

Chemical recycling breaks plastics down to their molecular base, creating materials with properties virtually identical to virgin plastic. This makes it possible—and ideal—for use in highly regulated industries like food, beverage, and pharmaceuticals.

2. Closing the Loop on Hard-to-Recycle Plastics

Chemical recycling opens the door to recycling mixed or multilayer plastics that mechanical processes struggle to handle. Polypropylene (PP), used in flexible snack packaging or more complex multi-polymer films, for example, can now re-enter the recycling stream rather than heading to landfills or incinerators. This innovation makes it easier to integrate more recycled materials into packaging and advance circular economies.

3. Endlessly Recyclable Materials

Through chemical recycling, plastics can theoretically be recycled over and over, maintaining the same level of quality. Unlike mechanically recycled materials, which can degrade in quality over multiple cycles, chemically recycled plastics promise durability across numerous rebirths.

4. Reducing Dependence on Virgin Fossil Plastics

By turning plastic waste into virgin-like polymers, chemical recycling helps reduce the demand for virgin fossil feedstocks. This is a significant step in addressing over-extraction of natural resources and mitigating the climate impact of virgin plastic production.

Comparing Chemical Recycling & Mechanical Recycling

Both chemical and mechanical recycling play crucial roles in advancing sustainability, but each shine in different scenarios

Aspect	Mechanical Recycling	Chemical Recycling
Application Suitability	Best for clean, single-material plastics	Handles mixed, contaminated, or multi-polymer plastics
Material Quality	May degrade over cycles; visible specks or inconsistencies	Virgin-like quality, even after repeated cycles
Energy Usage	Less energy-intensive	Higher energy demands but still less impactful than virgin production
Areas of Challenge	Limited handling of contamination; restricted to selected resins	Requires more significant investment and infrastructure
Market Potential	Strong in common formats like PET bottles or HDPE containers	Growing for high-value, hard-to-recycle materials like multilayer films

Challenges and Opportunities

Despite its promise, the adoption of chemical recycling faces hurdles.

Cost of Investment:

Chemical recycling facilities require substantial funding to build and maintain. Currently, these technologies are more expensive than mechanical solutions. However, as the technology scales and regulatory incentives grow, the costs are expected to drop.

Cost of Product: High Demand, Low Supply

Chemically-recycled plastics could be the poster-child for the law of supply and demand – Prices for these virgin-like materials are remain high. Because of the upside of advanced-recycled plastics, these materials are eagerly sought by sustainably conscious brand owners and manufacturers. As we just discussed, because of how expensive and new the technology is, the available supply must be rationed out to interested parties. The resulting mismatch between supply and demand results in high prices for those early adopters of chemically-recycled materials.

Energy and Environmental Impact:

While chemical recycling is better for the environment than creating new virgin plastics, it is often more energy-intensive than mechanical recycling. Ensuring technologies adopt renewable energy sources will be critical for achieving net-zero goals.

Feedstock Supply and Regulation:

Chemical recycling works best when facilities are supplied with mixed, contaminated, or other hard-to-recycle plastics that mechanical recyclers can’t easily process. Clear regulations and partnerships across the supply chain are needed to balance inputs between the two.

Consumer and Brand Education:

The success of chemical recycling depends on widespread adoption. For that to happen, consumers and brands will need greater transparency on what it is and why it matters. This ensures wider buy-in for both environmentally-conscious purchasing decisions and corporate investment in chemically recycled materials.

The Role of Brands and Packaging Buyers

Companies across sectors—from consumer goods to e-commerce—are giving new prominence to sustainability in their supply chains. Leading brands are integrating chemical recycling into their packaging strategies as part of broader commitments to circular economies.

Strategies for Adoption:

• Blend Virgin-Like Recycled Materials: If use of recycled-content is a critical component to your value offering, consider blending both post-consumer and virgin-like recycled materials for a more cost-effective solution that still boosts overall recycled content.  
• Invest in Closed-Loop Systems: Focus on materials that can continually be recycled instead of relying on finite virgin resources. We have been under-valuing post-consumer plastics as a resource for decades; we need to ensure these resources stop ending up in landfills.
• Collaborate for Scale: Join industry coalitions, like the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) pushing for advancements in recycling technologies. And yes, Emmerson Packaging is a member.

For packaging buyers and brand owners, choosing advanced recycled content amplifies sustainability claims and aligns products with consumer demand for eco-friendly packaging.

A Hopeful Vision for Plastic Recycling

Imagine a world where all plastic waste is destined for recycling systems, where the gleam of a premium food package seamlessly integrates with sustainability, and where brands truly play a role in preserving finite resources. Chemical recycling is poised to make this vision a reality.

It’s clear that advanced recycling technologies are no longer optional—they are essential to creating scalable, sustainable packaging solutions. Whether you’re a consumer looking for facts, a brand steering sustainability efforts, or an environmentalist advocating for change, chemical recycling points toward an exciting future.

Are You Ready to Join the Movement?

Explore how advanced and mechanically recycled materials – like our Post-Consumer (PCR) and Post-Industrial (PIR) – could elevate your business packaging and reduce the reliance on virgin materials. Together, we can close the loop, one package at a time.

Curious to learn more? Connect with recycling experts or discover material options tailored to your needs. Let’s innovate responsibly.