PET recycling report – NAPCOR 2024 PET Recycling Report Shows Resilient Circular Economy, Strong Collection Rates, Efficiency Gains, and Growing Thermoform Recovery Across North America 15-12-2025
PET recycling report
NAPCOR Releases 2024 PET Recycling Report Highlighting System Efficiency Gains and PET Circularity Strength
The National Association for PET Container Resources, widely known as NAPCOR, has released its 2024 PET recycling report, marking the 30th annual analysis of PET recycling activity in the United States and Canada. This milestone report provides a detailed view of PET bottle collection, recycling system efficiency, and recycled PET end-market performance across North America.
After three decades of data, the 2024 PET recycling report shows that PET recycling remains one of the most established and effective recycling systems in the region. While market volatility continues to affect supply and demand, the PET recycling system has demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and measurable efficiency gains.
PET Recycling Performance Remains Above Global Benchmarks
According to the 2024 PET recycling report, PET bottle collection rates in North America continue to exceed internationally recognized benchmarks. In the United States, the PET bottle recycling rate reached 30.2 percent in 2024. Although this figure is lower than the revised 2023 peak of 32.5 percent, it remains above the previous decade’s average of 29.5 percent.
Across the United States and Canada combined, the PET bottle collection rate reached 39.2 percent. This level remains well above the 30 percent threshold set by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as evidence that recycling systems operate effectively at scale. Since NAPCOR began tracking these benchmarks in 2019, North American PET recycling rates have consistently exceeded this global standard.
These results reinforce the conclusion that PET recycling infrastructure in North America continues to function reliably, even amid shifting economic conditions and material pricing pressures.
System Efficiency Improvements Strengthen PET Circularity
One of the most notable findings in the 2024 PET recycling report is the improvement in system efficiency. The ratio of recovered outputs to total incoming PET material rose from 81.5 percent in 2023 to 85.2 percent in 2024. This increase reflects better material utilization, improved processing performance, and greater recirculation of byproducts within the PET recycling system.
Advancements in non-mechanical PET reclamation also played a significant role. In 2024, depolymerization and other chemical recycling technologies operated at commercial scale for the first time. As a result, US and Canadian reclaimers recycled nearly four times more non-traditional feedstock than in the previous year. These materials include non-packaging PET and reclamation byproducts that were previously difficult to recover.
This progress signals an important step toward strengthening PET circularity by reducing waste and expanding the usable feedstock supply.
PET Thermoform Recovery Grows Rapidly
While PET bottle collection volumes declined modestly, recovery of other PET packaging formats expanded significantly. The 2024 PET recycling report shows that pounds of post-consumer PET bottles collected in the United States fell by 3.9 percent compared to 2023. However, total PET reclaimer inputs across the US and Canada increased by 1 percent overall.
This growth was driven primarily by PET thermoform recovery. In 2024, reclaimers collected 264 million pounds of PET thermoforms, representing a 52 percent increase year over year. This sharp rise highlights ongoing progress in capturing PET packaging beyond bottles and expanding circular feedstock opportunities.
The report notes that while recovery gains are encouraging, consistent end-market demand for recycled thermoform material remains uneven. Aligning recovery growth with stable demand will be critical for long-term success.
Resilient Domestic Recycling Infrastructure
NAPCOR leadership emphasized that the findings in the 2024 PET recycling report confirm the durability of domestic recycling systems. Despite market corrections and increased virgin resin availability, PET recycling continues to perform at scale across North America.
The data also underscore the importance of ongoing investment in recycling infrastructure. Strengthening domestic feedstock supply, expanding collection of all PET packaging formats, and supporting policies that encourage innovation remain essential priorities for the industry.
Recycled PET End-Market Trends and Challenges
End-market dynamics in 2024 presented mixed results. Sales of recycled PET, commonly referred to as rPET, to US and Canadian end markets declined by 3 percent compared to 2023. At the same time, imports of rPET reached a record high, accounting for 23 percent of total rPET supply in North America.
Bottle applications continued to dominate recycled PET demand, representing more than 60 percent of all domestically sold rPET. This confirms that PET bottle-to-bottle recycling remains the cornerstone of the PET circular economy.
Average recycled content in US PET bottles measured 15.9 percent in 2024. Although slightly lower than in 2023, this figure remains above the prior three-year average of 13.7 percent. The decline was largely attributed to increased availability of virgin PET resin rather than reduced recycling capacity.
What the 2024 PET Recycling Report Means for the Future
The 2024 PET recycling report illustrates a system that is evolving, resilient, and capable of improvement. Gains in efficiency, growth in thermoform recovery, and the successful scale-up of advanced recycling technologies show that PET recycling continues to lead the broader plastics circular economy.
At the same time, the report highlights areas that require attention, including consistent end-market demand, domestic material sourcing, and supportive policy frameworks. Addressing these challenges will help ensure that PET recycling continues to deliver environmental and economic value across North America.
After 30 years of reporting, NAPCOR’s latest findings confirm that PET recycling works in practice and at scale, while also pointing toward the next phase of growth for a more circular plastics economy.
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