A conservative organization is urging six major paper companies to reduce their lobbying efforts against a Trump administration initiative aimed at enhancing plastic recycling.
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE) sent a series of letters in September to International Paper, Pratt Industries, Kimberly-Clark, Packaging Corporation of America, Smurfit Westrock, and Procter & Gamble. All these companies have executives on the board of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). In the letters, CASE requested that the association halt its opposition to advanced recycling or reconsider its membership.
“You cannot credibly champion recycling while working to limit recycling innovation,” CASE President Matt Kandrach noted in each correspondence.
Kandrach further explained that recycled plastic competes with paper, and the association should promote paper without stifling recycling innovation.
Advanced recycling technology involves breaking down used plastic through heat or chemicals to create new products. Recently, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 28 to 19 to send a bill to the House floor that would classify this process as recycling. The AF&PA has voiced opposition to the bill, as stated by spokesperson Lindsay Murphy.
“Paper is proof of what a successful recycling system can look like, and this legislation builds on that success by giving other materials pathways to be recovered over sent to landfills,” said Republican New York Rep. Nick Langworthy, the bill’s sponsor.
Langworthy acknowledged that it’s typical for an industry to resist changes that could upset the current system, but he insisted that the bill actually broadens traditional recycling.
According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, fewer than ten advanced recycling plants are currently in operation in the U.S., and nearly 90 more are planned. Zeldin indicated that ambiguous federal regulations are hindering this growth, which could potentially create over 173,000 jobs. The proposed bill, H.R. 7502, aims to establish a national standard for labeling products as made with recycled materials, overriding varying state regulations.
Advanced recycling offers a solution to plastic waste that conventional recycling never could: a way to truly undo plastic, breaking it apart piece by piece until nothing remains but the raw materials it was originally made from.
At the Trump EPA, we are doing our part to cut…
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) April 24, 2026
AF&PA’s 2024 year in review highlights “Defeated advanced recycling legislation in Alabama” as a significant achievement for their advocacy. The report indicates the association aims to be the leading voice for paper and wood product manufacturers in a circular economy.
Leaders from all six companies are part of the AF&PA board, including International Paper’s Chairman and CEO Andrew Silvernail, who holds the position of second vice chair.
The bill would allow products without actual recycled material to be marketed as recycled through a credit-based system, while Murphy commented that “recycled content claims should reflect the material actually in the product.”
AF&PA has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the DCNF this week.
Pratt claims on its website that recycling plays a crucial role in combating climate change, while International Paper emphasizes circularity as a vital part of its sustainability strategy. Kandrach referenced both companies’ statements in his letters.
Smurfit Westrock declined to provide any additional input on the matter. Other companies, including International Paper, Pratt, Kimberly-Clark, Packaging Corporation of America, and Procter & Gamble, also did not respond to inquiries. Likewise, CASE remains silent after several attempts to reach them.
Langworthy introduced the bill in February alongside bipartisan co-sponsors, but ultimately only Texas Rep. Marc Veasey, a Democrat, voted in favor during the recent meeting. Democratic Florida Rep. Kathy Castor expressed concerns that the bill allows the industry to promote new plastic as recycled. Langworthy, however, expressed hope that Veasey can help clarify the bill’s intentions to other Democratic representatives. The vote occurred in the House’s last week before the November elections, and no Senate counterpart has been introduced.
A coalition of twelve conservative and taxpayer organizations, including Americans for Prosperity and the National Taxpayers Union, encouraged the committee in July to pass the legislation, which is also supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the plastics industry.
The National Consumers League warned the committee in July that the bill could legitimize misleading ways of counting recycled content, and a coalition led by the Natural Resources Defense Council stated on August 31 that it would allow the plastics industry to make false claims.
