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.
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.
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.
Activities
The ARPBA has actively lobbied against bag fees and bans in numerous states, including Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia. 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.
References
- "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.