2020 PPRCi wrap-up

Dozens of speakers from diverse business sectors shared insights into commodity markets during Recycling Today’s 2020 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference International (PPRCi), which wrapped up Oct. 22. Here are some highlights from the three-day broadcast event.

Day one

The first day of the conference kicked off with a keynote from Waste Management Executive Vice President and COO John Morris. From improving recyclability to increasing automation, Morris and Recycling Today Editor DeAnne Toto covered a wide range of topics.

Following Morris’ interview, several other strong sessions rounded out the first day of PPRCi. The “Closing the Circle” session featured panelists discussing ways to improve recycling and manufacturing. Then, speakers on a session titled, “Improving the Recycling Supply Chain” offered their takes on how to better connect stakeholders in the recycling supply chain.

The first day of PPRCi wrapped up with a series of interviews and a roundtable discussion titled, “Putting Advancements in MRF Technology to Work.” Panelists and speakers talked about technologies they are applying at their material recovery facilities (MRFs) as well as the technologies they see helping in the future.

Day two

The second day of PPRCi kicked off with a 2021 economic outlook provided by Robert Dye, a chief economist with Comerica Bank. Following his presentation, speakers and panelists discussed regulatory changes across the globe in a session titled, “Global Markets: The Changing Regulatory Landscape.”

After that session, PPRCi speakers presented on postconsumer resin (PCR) demand in a session titled, “Rising to Meet PCR Demand.”

Day two of the conference concluded with a session titled, “The Outlook for OCC,” which featured interviews with an analyst and an executive at WestRock, as well as a roundtable discussion with representatives from MRFs and global paper mills.

Day three

The third day of PPRCi featured content on various topics related to paper and plastics recycling. The day started with two roundtable discussions. The first roundtable offered paper mill buyers’ input on recovered fiber trends. The second roundtable featured plastic scrap consumers who provided their inputs on trends with plastics recycling.

Following the two roundtable discussions, the “Designing Products & Packaging for Recovery” session featured three speakers who talked about designing for recycling initiatives and evolving attitudes regarding recycled content. PPRCi finished with a session on recovered fiber pulp and mixed paper markets where Bill Moore, president of Moore & Associates, presented on developments in recycled pulp capacity while a recycler also offered his input on mixed paper demand.

Ahead of PPRCi, Recycling Today also hosted its MRF Operations Forum, a one-day event featuring content on MRF management. The one-day event featured sessions on robotics, optical sorters, maintenance and more.

For more information on sessions and speakers, and to register for all of this content on-demand, visit https://paperplasticsna.recyclingtodayevents.com