How Does PET Support the Economy?

The PET industry plays a significant role in the global and US economy:

🌍 The PET industry generates approximately $41 billion in global revenue
♻️ The plastics industry supports more than a million jobs in the US, many of them connected to PET
💼 An estimated 265,000 jobs are supported by PET in the US*

*Estimate calculated by comparing total US plastics industry employment (source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017) with employment at NAPCOR member companies.

Today, PET continues to support a wide range of industries—from food and beverage packaging to apparel and carpet manufacturing.

PET’s Economic Impact at a Glance

💼 Supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the value chain
🏭 Strengthens domestic manufacturing with recycled materials
🔁 Keeps valuable materials in circulation
📈 Drives investment in recycling infrastructure and technology

How Does PET Recycling Support Jobs?

Recycling PET creates jobs at every stage of the process, including:

✅ Collection and transportation
✅ Sorting and processing at recycling facilities
✅ Manufacturing using recycled PET (rPET)

These roles span local communities and national supply chains, supporting employment in both urban and rural areas.

How Does PET Recycling Support Manufacturing?

Recycled PET is used to make a wide range of products, including:

✅ New bottles and food-grade packaging
✅ Fibers for clothing and textiles
✅ Packaging materials and consumer goods

By supplying manufacturers with recycled PET, PET recycling supports domestic production and reduces reliance on virgin (new) resources.

In a circular economy, materials are kept in use for as long as possible.

PET recycling supports this by:

✅ Turning used bottles into new products
✅ Reducing waste
✅ Extending the life of materials

This approach helps create a more efficient system where materials continue to provide value over time.

Why Does Recycling Infrastructure Matter?

Recycling systems depend on infrastructure, from collection programs to processing facilities.

Investments in recycling infrastructure:

✅ Create jobs
✅ Improve material recovery
✅ Support local economies
✅ Help ensure materials like PET are reused instead of discarded

Strong systems make it easier to collect and recycle PET, which in turn strengthens the broader economy.

Why Does Domestic Recycling Matter?

When PET is recycled locally:

✅ Materials stay within the domestic economy
✅ Manufacturers have access to recycled inputs
✅ Communities benefit from jobs and investment

Strengthening domestic recycling systems helps ensure that valuable materials are recovered and reused.

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.