Washington, D.C.—The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) announced the winners of its 2025 Plastic Sustainability Innovation Awards, recognizing outstanding innovations in plastics manufacturing that deliver environmental advantages in design, material, and end-of-life management.
PLASTICS’ Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Policy, Patrick Krieger, congratulated the winners, stating:
“Congratulations to all this year’s winners. These companies represent the innovation driving the plastics industry forward and advancing sustainability. Their achievements are a testament to the incredible progress being made across our industry.”
Sustainable Innovation in Design Award
PureCycle is the winner of the design award for PureFive™ resin. PureCycle uses a dissolution recycling process developed by The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) that separates color, odor, other plastics, and additives from PCR polypropylene waste feedstock to transform it into PureFive™ resin. This purification process helps close the loop on recycled plastics while making recycled polypropylene more accessible at scale to companies seeking more sustainable materials in their products. In 2024, PureFive™ resin was successfully used in fiber, injection molding, and thermoforming applications.
“PureCycle is honored to receive this award from the Plastics Industry Association,” said Tamsin Ettefagh, Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President of Government for PureCycle Technologies. “The path to solving the plastic waste problem is paved with innovations, and our team at PureCycle is proud to be part of that solution. With our dissolution-based recycling process, we’re focused on providing a sustainable, drop-in solution that empowers our customers to achieve their sustainability goals.”
Sustainable Innovation in Materials Award
GreenMantra Technologies is the winner of the materials award for its CERANOVUS® specialty polymer additive. GreenMantra has developed the first commercially scaled molecular recycling technology, converting 100% waste plastics into high-performance synthetic waxes and polymer additives. Unlike standard recycled plastics, CERANOVUS® additives are molecularly engineered through a proprietary process that breaks down long carbon chains in recycled polyolefin plastics into tailored shorter-chain polymers and waxes. The result: functional additives that enhance product performance, improve manufacturing efficiency, and drive greater sustainability.
By seamlessly integrating into existing manufacturing processes, CERANOVUS enables industries to incorporate more recycled content while maintaining—or even improving—material quality.
“We are thrilled to receive the Plastic Sustainability Innovation Award,” said GreenMantra Technologies’ CEO, Domenic Di Mondo. “This recognition highlights the incredible work of the GreenMantra team and the real-world impact of our CERANOVUS polymer additives. With proven commercial success in roofing, paving, and drainage pipe applications, and clear environmental and market benefits, this innovation is reshaping how recycled materials are used in critical infrastructure. It’s a powerful example of how manufacturers can reimagine product formulations to enhance performance, improve processing efficiency, and advance their sustainability goals. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished and energized by the opportunities ahead.”
Sustainable Innovation in End-of-Life Award
Greyparrot is the winner of the end-of-life award for its Greyparrot Analyzer. The Analyzer is an AI-powered waste analytics system that revolutionizes plastic recovery by providing real-time data on material composition in sorting facilities. Using advanced computer vision, the Analyzer identifies and categorizes waste on conveyor belts, enabling operators to optimize infeed blends, improve product quality, and reduce residue loss. With 140 units deployed across 55 facilities globally, the Analyzer has identified millions of dollars in recoverable plastics previously lost to landfill.
“Data is the missing link in unlocking a truly circular economy for plastics,” said Gaspard Duthilleul, COO at Greyparrot. “Our AI waste analytics systems are introducing unprecedented waste data analytics at scale, to benefit the waste value chain. That insight is helping the waste sector recover plastic more profitably, and helping brands measure and improve their packaging’s recoverability. This award is a powerful recognition of the role waste intelligence has to play in transforming plastic waste from a global pollutant into a valuable resource.”
Leadership in Sustainability Innovation Award
The Leadership Award, presented to the company with the best overall score across the three categories, was awarded to Plastipak for their PPK Natura material.
PPK Natura utilizes CarbonSmart™ MEG, a technology derived from waste carbon emissions through a proprietary carbon capture and transformation (CCT) process. In this process, industrial carbon emissions—such as those from steel mills or other carbon-intensive industries—are captured and converted into ethanol. The ethanol is then processed into monoethylene glycol (MEG), a key building block for PET resin. MEG is combined with terephthalic acid to create PPK Natura, a high-performance PET resin with the same properties as virgin fossil-based PET. The result is a fully recyclable material that retains the technical integrity required for a variety of packaging applications.
“We’re honored that PPK Natura has received the Plastics Sustainability Innovation Award,” said Plastipak’s Executive Managing Director Europe, Pedro Martins. “At Plastipak, we’re committed to packaging and recycling innovation that reduces environmental impact. Through the use of renewable electricity and forward-thinking design, we’re driving progress in carbon reduction and fossil resource conservation while helping our customers reduce Scope 3 emissions. PPK Natura is a testament to our leadership in sustainable packaging. This cutting-edge PET resin is made from carbon waste and delivers the same high performance as virgin PET—but with a lower carbon footprint. This award reinforces our commitment to a more sustainable future—and we’re just getting started.”
People’s Choice Award
SnapSlide is the winner of the People’s Choice Award for their SnapSlide RX Vial. This product redefines pharmaceutical packaging by combining child resistance with one-handed accessibility—an industry first. Designed to empower individuals with limited dexterity, SnapSlide eliminates the struggle of traditional push-and-twist closures while maintaining CPSC-certified child safety. Beyond accessibility, SnapSlide advances sustainability, using 25% less plastic than conventional vials while increasing shipping efficiency by approximately 20%.
“We are honored to receive this award. SnapSlide represents what’s possible when sustainability and accessibility are treated as equal priorities—practical solutions that serve more people, with less impact on the planet,” said SnapSlide CEO Rocky Batzel.
The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) is the only organization that supports the entire plastics supply chain, including Equipment Suppliers, Material Suppliers, Processors, and Recyclers, representing over one million workers in our $519 billion U.S. industry. PLASTICS advances the priorities of our members who are dedicated to investing in technologies that improve capabilities and advances in recycling and sustainability and providing essential products that allow for the protection and safety of our lives. Since 1937, PLASTICS has been working to make its members, and the eighth largest U.S. manufacturing industry, more globally competitive while supporting circularity through educational initiatives, industry-leading insights and events, convening opportunities and policy advocacy, including the largest plastics trade show in the Americas, NPE: The Plastics Show.