The Intrinsic Link Between Sustainability and ESGs

November 2, 2021

November 2, 2021


Today's guest blog was written by ISRI’s VP of Sustainability, Cheryl T. Coleman. The original post can be read here.


For years, sustainability was synonymous with environment, but the concept of sustainability has evolved to encompass so much more. There was, and remains, a huge emphasis on preserving natural resources, environmental compliance, and safety. Today, though, sustainability is also about having a business culture that:

  • Protects the environment;
  • Ensures a diverse staff that receive wages that allow them to thrive, and;
  • Operates with governing principles starting at the CEO level that include business ethics; cybersecurity; health and safety of employees and surrounding communities; and enterprise risk management including continuous monitoring of all threats and opportunities.


We often see these principles summed up through environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, which are a set of standards for a company’s operations that many investors use to screen potential investments. The three components of ESGs are complementary and represent a company’s responsibility to its employees, investors, and the broader society. Investors are increasingly applying these non-financial factors as part of their analysis process to identify material risks and growth opportunities. Environmental assesses the risk of a company, its suppliers, and partners from climate events, and its impact on the physical environment. Social assesses a company’s relative social impact and associated risk from societal actions, including from its direct and indirect employees, customers, and the communities in which it operates. Governance assesses the timing and quality of decision-making, governance structure, and the distribution of rights and responsibilities across different stakeholder groups.


Regulations are one of the main elements driving companies to make sure their ESG criteria meet today’s standards.. Earlier this year, President Biden issued an Executive Order on climate change. Additionally, regulations and policies related to climate change and emissions reductions are being proposed and/or implemented at the federal, state, and local government levels.


Recycling is currently on aggressive regulatory agendas of many local, state, and federal policy makers, as well as stakeholders. Investors, customers, and consumers are also concerned about emissions as well as other issues including recycling; safety; and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The data related to these factors, including whether companies are making this information publicly available, is being analyzed by interested stakeholders. Instead of waiting on the federal government to mandate that this information be available publicly, many stakeholders are now asking for it. Many indicators suggest federal requirements for making data on these factors public are coming, and it’s likely that stakeholder demands will continue to increase. These demands will affect our industry and it is important that we demonstrate that the recycling industry is essential to manufacturing, a circular and robust economy, as well as thriving communities.


For more information on sustainability and ESGs, view the Sustainability: Benefits for Your Company and the Industry webinar, which is currently available to watch on demand for ISRI members.



Disclaimer: Guest blogs represent the opinion of the writers and may not reflect the policy or position of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.

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Andela Products

By Sophie Leone • May 27, 2026
Founded by Cynthia Andela, Andela Products is a leader in Glass Recycling. Since its inception, Andela Products has expanded into designing complete systems to pulverize, clean and screen post-consumer waste glass. Andela uses cost-effective systems to transform waste glass into usable, high-value materials. Andela provides multiple applications such as a Pulverizer, Crusher, Laminated Glass, CleanGlass Cleaup Systems, and Single Stream Recycling. The variety in systems allows Andela to reach a diverse network of businesses and expand their reach. In addition to equipment, Andela has a detailed library of resources and safety information on the recycled glass market. Providing the community, and those in the industry, with details on glassphalt, sand and aggregates, glass sand as soil amendments, PCR, best practices and much more. Andela features testimonials on their websites, showcasing the prestige and easy operational use of their equipment by customers. With some customers stating, “We are incredibly satisfied with the GP-MegaMini from Andela Products — it is efficient, reliable, and its performance has exceeded our expectations” and “We appreciate the ease of ordering wear parts and value the attention and service we receive from Andela Products, it’s a true partnership”. NERC is excited to welcome Andela Products into our growing glass community. We look forward to supporting an organization committed to innovation and advancing technology while promoting education and best practices. For more information on Andela Products visit.

Q1 2026 Northeast Commodity Values Increase Despite PET’s Continuing Decline

By Megan Fontes • May 26, 2026
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Commodities market hurts county recycling revenue

By Brian Shane | OC Today-Dispatch • April 30, 2026
(May 1, 2026) Worcester County collected millions more pounds of recycling last year, but generated less revenue – and taxpayers are covering the difference. The shift reflects a sharp drop in the market for recyclable materials, which has undercut what the county can earn from selling paper, plastic and metal. County officials say they sometimes hold materials for weeks or months, waiting for a buyer, Public Works Director Dallas Baker told the county commissioners. “Cardboard still sells really well. Metals sell really well. Plastic is kind of horrible,” he said at an April 14 budget work session. “For most of the year, plastic might not sell at all – like, you have to pay somebody to come take your plastic.” The county is projecting $150,000 in recycling revenue for fiscal year 2027, against more than $1.2 million in costs – a shortfall absorbed by the county’s general fund, according to Enterprise Fund Controller Quinn Dittrich. He added that recycling revenue has declined in the last two fiscal years, falling about $80,000 in 2024 and $15,000 in 2025. Low prices for plastics are driving the decline, according to Bob Keenan, the county’s recycling manager. Vendors are offering just a few cents per pound for plastic. “There is simply no market in it,” he said. “There are warehouses and warehouses of plastic that (vendors) can’t get anybody to buy.” Other materials have also lost value, Keenan said: Corrugated cardboard has fallen from $125 a ton to as low as $60. Mixed paper has dropped from $120 a ton to $70. Aluminum sells for $1.09 by the ton through a broker, though market prices are closer to 80 cents. At the same time, recycling volume is up. Last year, the county collected 1,985 more tons of recyclables – that’s almost 4 million pounds – than in 2024. Totals for 2025 came to 12,236 tons for residential recyclables and 24,707 for commercial, according to Keenan. He noted that the county has been promoting recycling through outreach, in part by hosting 14 school field trips in the last year to its Newark processing facility. “We send them home with a lot of literature about what you can and can’t recycle,” Keenan said. “I want people to know what we do, and that we’re not throwing their recycling away.” Worcester’s revenue decline mirrors a broader trend. A March 2026 report from the Northeast Recycling Council found recycling commodity values hit a five-year low in 12 states, including Maryland and Delaware. Industry reports also show at least five U.S. plastic recycling facilities have closed since early 2025 as demand has weakened. Ocean City officials faced a similar reality years ago. The resort pulled the plug on its traditional recycling program in 2009 after determining it was too costly to maintain. In its final year, the city spent $1.2 million on recycling and brought in $200,000 in revenue, according to Public Works Director Hal Adkins. Since then, Ocean City has contracted to truck its rubbish to waste-to-energy incinerators outside Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. “It was just not sustainable,” Adkins said. “It doesn’t make money.” Read on OC Today-Dispatch.