The US's Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) has aligned with manufacturing trade associations to support beverage container deposit programmes.

Leadership from the glass, aluminium and plastic (PET) industries have joined together to emphasise the critical role recycled bottles and cans redeemed and returned through the US’s 10 beverage container deposit programmes play in the supply chains of essential packaging.

Food and beverage industries, along with their packaging and supply chain partners, have been deemed as essential by the US government. Recycled bottles and cans, similar to raw materials and other inputs, are part of this supply chain.

Material from beverage container deposit systems generally account for 20-60% of the inputs the industries use to make essential packaging.

The high quality of recyclables collected and purchased by the industries from these programmes require very little sortation and can go quickly back into manufacturing processes.

As the food and beverage industries have ramped up their production to meet unprecedented demand, a strong, dependable supply chain of recycled material is essential in order to meet their packaging needs.

The industry coalition has contacted leadership in several states with beverage container deposit programmes, urging safe redemption and return options be made available for consumers, and that these options be made clear to residents through online resources.

With nationwide redemption rates for these programs north of 70%, US consumers have shown a strong desire to return, redeem and support manufacturing industries and their supply chains.

“Glass food jars and bottles that consumers see today are, on average, made of one-third recycled glass,” said Scott DeFife, president of the Glass Packaging Institute.

“The majority of that recovered material comes from the ten bottle deposit states, due to the high volume of quality glass created by their programmes.

This recycled material is a key element of the essential food and beverage packaging manufacturing supply chain. It is imperative that we work to make redemption programmes fully operational, and resume the flow of quality material before disruptions occur that impact consumers' access to the products on local grocery shelves.”