Sustainability: Resources & Partners

The Association of Plastic Recyclers

The Association of Plastic Recyclers is an international trade association representing the plastics recycling industry. APR member companies are committed to the success of plastics recycling. Membership spans the entire industry and through their participation APR member companies are shaping the future of our industry.

CPSC oversees consumer product safety issues and is the agency responsible for implementing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). This act limits the amount of lead and phthalates allowed in children’s products and requires testing and certifying the lead and phthalate content of such products.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration

OSHA assures safe and healthful working conditions of working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education and assistance. Regulations include machine guarding, Lockout/Tagout, Hazard Communication, Personal Protection Equipment, etc. OSHA works with employers and employees to foster effective safety and health programs which reduce workplace hazards. It is part of the U. S. Department of Labor.

Sustainable Green Printing Partnership

SGP is a non-profit organization that certifies printing facilities’ sustainability best practices, including and beyond regulatory compliance. SGP strives to assure a sustainability-driven supply chain to the print buying community through strategic industry partnerships.

DHS protects the American people and country from many different threats. Relevant to manufacturing is the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standard, which is a risk-based performance standard aimed at facilities that store certain chemicals above specific thresholds.

U.S. Department of Labor

OSHA assures safe and healthful working conditions of working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education and assistance. Regulations include machine guarding, Lockout/Tagout, Hazard Communication, Personal Protection Equipment, etc. OSHA works with employers and employees to foster effective safety and health programs which reduce workplace hazards. It is part of the U. S. Department of Labor.

U.S. DOT oversees is the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA which establishes regulations that ensure the safe and secure movement of hazardous materials by all transportation modes, including the nation’s pipelines. Shippers of hazardous materials need to understand the registration and meet the training requirements for employees involved in the management of hazardous materials.

U.S. EPA’s main responsibility is the protection of human health and the environment from pollution. The Agency develops, implements and enforces regulations that include air pollution, waste management and disposal, waste water discharges, storm water discharges, reporting the release of toxic chemical use and disposition, hazardous chemical storage, oil spill prevention, controlling the manufacturing and importation of toxic chemicals, accidental spill release reporting, and response and cleanup of contaminated property.

In addition to the federal requirements, there are state and local requirements as well. U.S. EPA sets the minimum standards that need to be met, and the state and local government agencies can and sometimes do impose stricter requirements.

As an Affiliate, RadTech promotes U.S. EPA’s SmartWay program to its members. SmartWay helps business reduce transportation-related emissions that affect climate change, reduce environmental risk for companies and increase global energy security. SmartWay Partners move more goods, more miles with lower emissions and less energy.

The U.S. Plastics Pact is a solutions-driven consortium founded by The Recycling Partnership and the World Wildlife Fund, launched as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact network, connects diverse public-private stakeholders across the plastics value chain to rethink the way we design, use, and reuse plastics, to create a path forward to realize a circular economy for plastic in the United States.