Aligning North American Design Guidance for Plastic Packaging

Published: March 18, 2025

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) has announced the publication in French of the APR Design^® Guide for Plastics Recyclability to align package design guidance for industry Producers across North America and expand their access to technical design guidance that is compatible with the recycling system.

With a new era of curbside recycling now underway across the province of Québec - managed by Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) and supported by RECYC-QUÉBEC - industry producers are now responsible, both operationally and financially, for recycling their product packaging. To make the system more effective and efficient, it is critical that producers design packaging that can be recycled by the system so that Québec can reduce waste to landfills and realize a circular economy for plastics.

The APR Design^® Guide is the leading resource in North America for plastics packaging design guidance and includes the technical details that can help Producers meet recycling targets set by the Québec government. APR is supporting the work of ÉEQ and RECYC-QUÉBEC by:

Translating the APR Design^® Guide into French.

Working with ÉEQ to ensure that its Packaging Recyclability Guidelines for plastics are aligned with the detailed technical guidance in the APR Design^® Guide and advances good eco-design practices.

Adding a new section to the APR Design^® Guide to reflect Québec recycling of flexible polypropylene packaging.

Working with RECYC-QUÉBEC to support efforts directing companies to both the ÉEQ Packaging Recyclability Guidelines and APR Design^® Guide for packaging advice and guidance. 

Providing APR Design^® Guide training in French for companies looking to make informed decisions about their package design choices.

“APR is pleased to work with Éco Entreprises Québec and RECYC-QUÉBEC to ensure that Québec companies have access to all the technical design information required in French to optimize their plastic packaging for recyclability. By working together, we can create a robust and effective recycling system across North America in support of a circular economy for plastics,” said Steve Alexander, APR President and CEO.

“Eco-design of plastic packaging is a critical requirement for creating an effective and efficient recycling system in Québec. Our team is pleased to work with APR to bring Producers the leading technical guidance in French to inform the development of their packages,” said Maryse Vermette, President and CEO of Éco Entreprises Québec.

“RECYC-QUÉBEC engages with companies to ensure that recyclability is at the heart of their packaging design. With APR’s technical guidance now available in French we can ensure that Québec companies have the technical information necessary to meet their obligations,” said Emmanuelle Géhin, President and CEO of RECYC-QUÉBEC.