"We not only use PCR, we create it," says East Jordan Plastics' Owen Diller. "We take containers made for and used in the horticulture industry and recycle them into new horticultural containers." Since the early 1960s, this Michigan-based company has been committed to minimizing waste and maximizing sustainability. They've invested in a closed-loop process and, last year, they earned the Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Plastic Certification. Averaged across all product lines, more than 25% of the raw material East Jordan Plastics uses in their trays, pots, and containers comes from PCR plastic, and over 70% of their total raw materials come from recycled sources.
East Jordan Plastics, South Haven, MI
Closed-loop process
All recycling takes place at two facilities—a 150,000-square-foot facility in South Haven, Michigan and a 260,000-square-foot facility in Lyons, Georgia. Through their closed-loop process, East Jordan Plastics takes horticultural containers used within the industry and recycles them into new horticultural containers, ensuring materials stay within the same industry, reducing waste, and promoting true circularity. "Each year, we recycle approximately 20 million pounds of used horticultural containers—equivalent to 952,000,000 SP433 trays—giving new life to plastics while significantly reducing environmental impact. Additionally, we recycle not just post-consumer but also post-industrial plastic, further minimizing the industry's ecological footprint."
Certified PCR plastic
In March 2024, East Jordan Plastics achieved a Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Plastic Certification from AM Testing and became an active participant in the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) PCR Certification Program. This certification ensures that all used horticultural containers from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polypropylene (PP), and Polystyrene (PS) materials processed at their facilities meet rigorous standards for post-consumer recycled content.
Growing demand for sustainability
Since the 1940s, East Jordan Plastics' mission has remained the same: to develop environmentally responsible solutions that exceed growers' quality standards while championing sustainable manufacturing. Over the years, they are seeing demand for sustainability growing. "By leveraging decades of experience, proven recycling processes, and manufacturing expertise, we help growers implement sustainable solutions that benefit not just their operations but also the industry and the planet as a whole. It's sustainability done right, right here."
For more information:
East Jordan Plastics, Inc.
www.eastjordanplastics.com