265,000 Jobs Created by PET*
*Estimate calculated by comparing total US plastics industry employment (source: 2017 US Bureau of Labor Statistics) with total number of people employed by NAPCOR member companies.
The PET (polyethylene terephthalate, #1 plastic) industry generates $41 billion in global revenue. The plastics industry generates more than a million jobs in the US, many of them within the PET industry. Today, the future looks even brighter for a wide range of industries, from food and beverage to apparel and carpet.
A Positive Impact on Adverse Events
PET containers and bottles are a go-to choice whenever natural disasters damage or destroy public water supplies and treatment facilities. Catastrophic events, including earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes, as well as temporary municipal water system shutdowns, make access to safe, drinkable water virtually impossible. Fortunately, durable PET bottles and containers can quickly be shipped directly to the scene, providing storm victims or affected residents with clean drinking water and food, plus protection from potential disease, illness, and contamination.
PET’s North American Impact
PET bottle recycling rates in 2024:The US PET bottle collection rate was 30.2%, following 2023's peak of 32.5%.
The average amount of post-consumer recycled PET used in US bottles was 15.9%, remaining above the prior three-year average of 13.7%, despite a slight decrease from 2023, driven by increased volumes of virgin PET resin in the market.
The North American (the US, Canada, and Mexico) PET bottle recycling rate was 39.2%, remaining well above the 30% threshold established by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to demonstrate that recycling works "in practice and at scale."
Source: NAPCOR 2024 PET Recycling Report
We're Doing a Job on the Economy
The PET industry is a growing field with a wide range of occupations available to job seekers.
- Packaging engineer
- Chemist
- Materials engineer
- Machine operator
- Manufacturing
- Construction
- Tool programmer
- Machinist
- Extruding/pressing
- Industrial designer
- Fabrication/assembly
- Maintenance
- Facilities manager
- Mechanical engineer
- Shipping/receiving
- Drafters
- Administration
- Data entry
- Sales engineer
- Human resources
- Computer technician
- Technical writer
- Accounting
- Logistics
- Recycler
- Process technician
- Mold maker
PET Jobs Make Dollars and Sense
Plastics industry average annual US wages by occupation.
 Building Maintenance | $29,260 |
| Machinist | $40,760 |
| Customer Service | $41,880 |
| Drafter | $53,360 |
| Purchasing Agent | $60,740 |
| Materials Engineer | $87,780 |