WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rob Benedict, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) Vice President of Petrochemicals & Midstream, today released the following statement on the recently reintroduced Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - This is a poorly devised bill that runs contrary to its purported purpose of improving the global environment. Banning the export of U.S. manufactured petrochemicals and polymers is shortsighted and will negatively impact global supply chains for essential materials and products.
Pyrolysis oil allows petrochemical manufacturers and recyclers to reduce the need for virgin petroleum-based feedstocks. Our industries cannot reap the benefits of advanced recycling without being able to take advantage of the substance’s broad uses, especially as a feedstock to make building blocks for new plastics.
AFPM welcomes the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) efforts in developing a Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, but consistent with comments submitted to the Agency, we urge a revision of their strategy. To prevent plastic pollution, we encourage EPA to embrace policies that enable, not hinder, a circular economy for plastics where we use a range of technologies and strategies to recover post-consumer plastic and transform it back into usable materials.