Plastic Recovery July: PSC Seeks to Inspire Pet Companies to Act Against Plastic Waste

Globally, 400 million tons of plastic are produced annually, with 79 percent ending up in landfills or oceans, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). After considering losses during recycling, only 9 percent of plastic waste is ultimately recycled, while 19 percent is incinerated and almost 50 percent went to sanitary landfills. The remaining 22 percent was disposed of in uncontrolled dumpsites, burned in open pits or leaked into the environment

This plastic waste is found in all environments, from the deepest ocean trenches to the tallest mountains. What’s more, a significant amount of plastic waste, estimated at between 8 to 10 million metric tons annually, ends up in the ocean. Plastic pollution poses serious threats to marine life, ecosystems and human health. It can harm or kill wildlife, contaminate food sources and contribute to microplastic pollution.

In 2019 alone, 22 metric tons of plastic materials leaked into the environment. Macroplastics account for 88 percent of plastic leakage, mainly resulting from inadequate collection and disposal. Microplastics, polymers with a diameter smaller than 5 mm, account for the remaining 12 percent, coming from a range of sources such as tire abrasion, brake wear or textile washing. The documented presence of these small particles in freshwater and terrestrial environments, as well as in several food and beverage streams, suggests that microplastics contribute substantially to the exposure of ecosystems and humans to leaked plastics and their related risks.

To make matters worse, the build-up of plastics in rivers implies that leakage into the ocean will continue for decades to come even if mismanaged plastic waste was significantly reduced. Furthermore, cleaning up these plastics is becoming more difficult and costly as plastics fragment into ever smaller particles.

According to Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC), a nonprofit that advances business through profitable environmental and social business practices, the pet industry produces an estimated 300 million pounds of plastic waste each year, with most being non-recyclable and ending up in landfills or waterways. Additionally, much of the pet product packaging is made from unrecyclable or hard-to-recycle materials, making the cost of recycling more than the value of those materials. PSC projects that at least 99 percent of all pet food packaging in the U.S. is thrown away rather than recycled.

“I like to tell people that we at Pet Sustainability Coalition do two main things,” said PSC CEO Jim Lamancusa. “One, we help individual companies advance their sustainability goals and, two, we bring together members of the coalition to tackle challenges that are too big for one company to tackle on their own. Our industry likes big activation events where we come together, and packaging is a huge issue. Eighty-seven percent of consumers want more sustainable packaging; I think because — honestly — they’re left with waste. The pet food or whatever you’re buying, the pet consumes it or plays with it, and then you’re left with trash, which is the packaging. There is no curbside recycling for flexible film packaging and 98 percent of pet food is sold in flexible packaging. It’s great — we don’t want to demonize flexible packaging, because it’s the best choice compared to glass, aluminum or rigid plastic containers that use a lot more plastic, but unfortunately it has the lowest value for recycling.”

PSC is partnering with rePurpose Global to lead Plastic Recovery July — a pet industry-wide movement focused on verified plastic recovery, one of the fastest, most measurable ways to act on plastic waste today. Companies across the pet industry are stepping up to fund the ethical collection and processing of plastic waste, support global waste workers, and track their progress using tools from rePurpose Global. The Plastic Recovery July campaign aims to recover 250,000 pounds of plastic waste from the environment and drive long-term, systemic change across the pet industry.

A leading plastic action platform, rePurpose Global operates a worldwide network of high-impact projects that are designed to recover plastic that would otherwise pollute nature. It also is empowering communities, especially the 10,000+ workers who make this work possible, and bringing together brands to collectively combat the plastic waste crisis.

Through this partnership with members of the pet care community, rePurpose Global is financing the recovery of critical plastic that would otherwise be destined for waterways, poorly managed landfills or burnt across four countries: Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya and India. These are countries that see the highest rates of plastic leakage into nature. In addition, the partnership will create a positive social impact by enabling the expansion of waste collection where infrastructure is limited and creating additional income streams for thousands of waste workers.

Since its launch in 2016, rePurpose Global has recovered more than 77 million pounds of plastic, protecting vulnerable coastal regions across the Americas, Africa and Asia. In doing so, the organization has enabled the delivery of waste management services to millions of people across the world, while positively impacting the lives of thousands of marginalized waste workers.

Through its pioneering solutions across the circular economy value chain, rePurpose Global has helped more than 500 companies measure, reduce and take action on their plastic footprints, while driving systems change on a global scale.

rePurpose Global’s robust tracking system uses Verified Plastic Recovery (VPR), a gold standard for accountability in plastic action. A unit of VPR is a non-transferable certificate representing the collection and most ethical processing of 1 pound of plastic waste. rePurpose Global’s VPR protocol ensures that plastic waste recovered is ethically sourced and tracked end-to-end.

According to Lamancusa, PSC is calling for participation not only from its members: “This is more than just a campaign – it’s a rallying point for the entire pet industry.”

This stance is supported by Peter Scott, CEO of American Pet Products Association (APPA), who says the main driver is to be better. And for Scott, that means APPA’s annual trade show, Global Pet Expo.

“We’re working with Adi [Siroya, the co-founder and chief impact officer of rePurpose Global] on trying to become — using their model — a plastic neutral event in 2026,” Scott noted. “I believe we can do it.”

Scott admits that one pet industry trade group isn’t going to change the world, but APPA has a platform with the members of the pet care community. In addition, APPA is a matching sponsor for Plastic Recovery July up to $50,000 in contributions.

“You try to be incrementally better when it comes to the issue of plastics but, as a business, how can we be better?” he noted. “Vic Mason [of World Pet Association] and I talk often about it, and if we can lead by actions and not just by talking, maybe we’re setting the right examples. Let’s do better together and try to show the industry that we can be better. Hopefully that will translate in our members and attendees being a little better. If we can move the needle slowly over time, we’ll do better.

PetSmart has a history of environmental sustainability, which it covers in its annual corporate social responsibility Report (CSR). Key progress in 2024 includes engaging pet parents in sustainability by expanding access to more purpose-driven and sustainable product offerings. In 2024, PetSmart became the first national retailer to pilot a West Paw dog toy takeback program. In collaboration with Hill’s Pet, Royal Canin, Canidae and Tiki Cat, PetSmart also partnered with TerraCycle to launch an in-store recycling program for all brands of empty pet food, treat and cat litter bags made from flexible plastic.

According to Joanne Dwyer, vice president of corporate social responsibility and corporate communications, PetSmart recognizes that pet packaging has an impact on the environment and fully supports the industry-facing campaign. She also believes that it’s important to democratize sustainability.

“Packaging is a challenge in our industry,” said Dwyer. “I’m thrilled we can coalition-build around something to say that we recognize that our packaging has impact. And rePurpose Global does great work in recovering plastic materials from big brands that end up in places they should be — nature-bound plastic. The reason why PetSmart is participating is because there are many of our supplier partners, including Earth Animal and Freshpet, that work with rePurpose Global very closely to collect their packaging as it ends up in unwanted areas. It gives us an opportunity, one, to support our sustainability goals and, two, to support our business partners and supplier partners and help give them credit for the work that they’re doing to take back the plastic that ends up in our environment.”

Tackling the plastic pollution crisis is a shared responsibility among members of the pet industry to ensure a healthier planet for future generations of people and pets alike. PSC hopes Plastic Recovery July is more than another initiative, but instead a major step forward in the pet industry’s future.

“We really want this first year to be a big success,” concluded Lamancusa. “We have significant excitement from brands this year. This initiative can become massive where we’re recovering millions of pounds every single year.”