The American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance (ARPBA), formerly the American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA), is a lobbying group that represents the U.S. plastic bag manufacturing and recycling industry. Founded in 2005, it lobbies against U.S. local and state plastic bag bans and taxes.[1]
The ARPBA is connected to the Society of the Plastics Industry, an industry trade group, while the APBA was connected to the American Chemistry Council.[2]
In January 2020, the organization was renamed the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance, promoting a pact by its members to use at least 20% recycled plastics in its products.[3]
Activities
editThe ARPBA has actively lobbied against bag fees and bans in numerous states, including Massachusetts,[4] New Jersey,[5] and Virginia.[6] Prior to the passage of California legislation banning plastic shopping bags, the ARPBA gathered a petition with over 800,000 signatures, spending over $3 million in an unsuccessful attempt to block the ban.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Plastic bags have lobbyists. And they're still winning". Politico. 2020-01-13.
- ^ "ACC, SPI Align and Expand Efforts to Defend Plastic Bags and Increase Plastic Film Recycling". americanchemistry.com. 2017-07-21. Archived from the original on 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ "American Progressive Bag Alliance becomes American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance". Recycling Today. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- ^ Foster, Rick. "Plastic peril? Concerns about single-use shopping bags prompts local, state proposals to ban them". The Sun Chronicle. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ "The biggest war on plastic is in New Jersey and bags, straws may not survive". North Jersey. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ O'Connor, Katie. "Another push for a plastic bag tax in Virginia dies". virginiamercury.com. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ Jeff Guo (2015-03-03). "A plastic bag lobby exists, and it's surprisingly tough". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.