Assessing Molecular Recycling Technologies in the United States and Canada

Molecular recycling, also known as advanced recycling and/or chemical recycling, is a diverse industry that addresses plastic waste. This recycling type includes dozens of transformational technologies that use solvents, heat, enzymes, and even sound waves to purify or break down plastic waste. The plastic waste is broken down into produce polymers, monomers, oligomers, or hydrocarbon products.

This new report investigates the economic, environmental, and human health implications of various molecular recycling technologies, determining their place in a circular plastics economy. This document has been prepared to provide summary results from the molecular recycling study conducted between 2020 and 2021 to investors, brands, retailers, policymakers, nonprofit groups, and other stakeholders.

There is no single sector, technology, or approach that can solve the plastic waste problem. A comprehensive approach includes upstream strategies such as design innovation and reuse systems that reduce overall plastic use, as well as downstream strategies such as mechanical and molecular recycling systems that recapture existing plastics after use. Closed Loop Partners examines how, under the right conditions, molecular recycling technologies have the potential to support downstream material recovery. This report also sheds light on just one component of the larger circular plastics system: molecular recycling technologies.

Although there is no single solution to the plastics waste crisis, this report aims to provide key data and insights to stakeholders across the value chain to inform ongoing efforts to build circular plastics supply chains in the United States and Canada.

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