SPI RESIN IDENTIFICATION CODE
GUIDE TO CORRECT USE

Whom to Contact:

Natha Freiburg

Video on the intended use of the Resin Identification Code

Summary

The SPI resin identification code has been developed to provide a consistent national system to facilitate recycling of post-consumer plastics through the normal channels for collecting recyclable materials from household waste. Improper use of the SPI resin identification code can have serious ramifications for individual manufacturers and could jeopardize the integrity of the coding system. Therefore, all users of the code are encouraged to adhere diligently to the following guidelines:

• Use the SPI code on bottles and rigid containers in compliance with the 39 state laws now in effect.
• Use the SPI code solely to identify resin content.
• Comply with the FTC Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims whenever the SPI code is used.
• Make the code inconspicuous at the point of purchase so it does not influence the consumer's buying decision.
• Do not modify the elements of the code in any way (i.e., do not replace the resin acronym in the code and do not use other types of chasing arrows).
• Do not make recycling claims in close proximity to the code, even if such claims are properly qualified.
• Do not use the term "recyclable" in proximity to the code.

Introduction

Many manufacturers are positioning their products to meet the public's desire for environmentally responsible products. For those manufacturers working with plastics, this may include facilitating the recovery of plastic products and components through the use of a resin identification code.

The major resin coding systems established to date were all developed as voluntary. As such, they do not include mechanisms to monitor proper usage of codes or take action against misuse. The integrity of coding systems is therefore dependent on the good faith efforts of manufacturers to use the codes in keeping with their intended purposes.

Recently, however, alleged abuses of resin identification codes have led consumer and environmental groups to ask the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and State Attorneys General, among others, to take legal or regulatory action. Manufacturers now considering resin coding should be cognizant of the concerns raised by these organizations. Similarly, manufacturers already using a coding system would be well advised to review their current practices.

To help preserve the right to use The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) code, consistent with applicable rules, this document highlights the issues involved and offers guidelines for the proper use of the SPI resin identification code.

The Value of Resin Identification Codes

Plastic is not any one material. Rather, it is a family of related materials with varying properties that can be engineered to meet the requirements of a broad range of applications. The success of a product often is dependent on matching the right plastic - with the right properties - to the right application.

The same is true when the material in question is a recycled plastic. As a result, there is a premium placed on the purity of post-use plastics. The more uniform the post-use plastics going in, the more predictable the properties of the recycled plastic coming out. Coding enables individuals to perform quality control (i.e., sorting) before recycling, ensuring that the recycled plastic is as homogenous as possible to meet the needs of the end markets.

Another potential benefit of coding is that it may facilitate the recovery of plastics not currently collected for recycling. If there is a readily identifiable supply of a given material in the waste stream, it may drive recycling entrepreneurs to explore means of recovering that material in a cost-effective manner.

These benefits of resin identification have led a number of entities to develop coding systems, including SPI, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Except where laws may require the use of a particular code, manufacturers have the option of selecting the coding system most appropriate for their product.

The SPI Resin Identification Code

The SPI introduced its resin coding system in 1988 at the urging of recyclers around the country. A growing number of communities were implementing recycling programs in an effort to decrease the volume of waste subject to rising tipping fees at landfills. In some cases, these programs were driven by state-level recycling mandates.

The SPI code was developed to meet recyclers' needs while providing manufacturers a consistent, uniform system that could apply nationwide. Because municipal recycling programs traditionally have targeted packaging - primarily containers - the SPI coding system offered a means of identifying the resin content of bottles and containers commonly found in the residential waste stream.

The overwhelming majority of plastic packaging is made with one of six resins: polyethylene terephthalate (PETE); high density polyethylene (HDPE); polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl); low density polyethylene (LDPE); polypropylene (PP); or polystyrene (PS). The SPI resin identification code assigns each of these resins a number from 1 to 6.

The SPI coding system also includes a seventh code, identified as "other." Use of this code indicates that the product in question is made with a resin other than the six listed above, or is made of more than one resin used in combination. The "other" code was developed to address legislative demands in some states that all consumer packages fitting certain size and functional parameters feature a resin identification code.

As of January 1995, 39 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin have adopted legislation regarding the use of the resin identification codes on bottles of 16 ounces or more and rigid containers of 8 ounces or more consistent with the SPI code. (Wisconsin requires use of the code on bottles of 8 ounces or more.)

Proper Usage of Resin Identification Codes

From the outset, SPI has offered explicit guidelines as to the proper sizing and positioning of the resin identification code on containers, including the following:

• The code should be molded, formed or imprinted on all containers that are large enough to accept the 1/2" minimum-size symbol and all containers between eight-ounce size and five gallons.
• The code should appear on the bottom of the container, as close to the center as feasible. Placing it in a similar location on all containers allows the code to be quickly located and easily identified.

Observance of these guidelines is essential to the integrity of the SPI resin identification code's stated mission: to facilitate the recovery of post-use plastics. The code was not intended to be - nor was it ever promoted as - a guarantee to consumers that a given item bearing the code will be accepted for recycling in their community. Much of the recent legal and regulatory activity surrounding use of the code has focused on uses that have been construed as making such a guarantee. This scrutiny is part of a larger effort by the FTC and State Attorneys General to crack down on the use of "false and misleading environmental claims" in product marketing.

In light of these concerns, SPI offers the following additional guidelines for use of the resin identification code. These supplemental guidelines were present by inference in earlier guidelines but bear further explanation at this time:

• The code should be applied where it will be inconspicuous to the consumer at the point of purchase so it does not influence the consumer's buying decision.
• Do not make recyclability or other environmental claims in close proximity to the code, even if such claims are properly qualified. Specifically, do not use the term "recyclable" in proximity to the code.

The SPI Material Container Codes