P&G enlists Eastman’s advanced recycling to fight plastic waste
03 Aug 2021 --- US chemical company Eastman has entered into an agreement with P&G to supply the FMCG giant with recycled plastic for select products in efforts to reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions.
Eastman uses a molecular recycling technology that can break down and repurpose plastic materials, which would otherwise be unsalvageable. Branded Eastman Renew, the technology is designed to complement traditional mechanical recycling infrastructure.
P&G and Eastman will also collaborate on other initiatives addressing the infrastructure needed to increase plastic recycling rates. These efforts will seek to enable additional recycling options for consumers eager to help solve the world’s plastic waste problem.
Rabobank predicts advanced recycling plants to double globally by 2025.P&G’s environmental efforts
The collaboration comes following a damning report published by Break Free From Plastics (BFFP) in June, which accused P&G of deliberately advertising false solutions to its plastic waste output as a means of continuing “business as usual.”
The report specifically lists unproven or novel technologies such as chemical recycling among its list of false solutions. However, P&G maintains these advanced methods are an important element in improving waste management.
“Eliminating waste plastic from our environment is a complex global challenge that requires a comprehensive, collaborative approach across the entire plastics lifecycle,” says Lee Ellen Drechsler, P&G senior vice president of R&D.
“P&G is taking a thoughtful approach to addressing the collection, processing, revitalization and reuse of materials. That’s why we selected Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies, which enable former waste to be transformed into useful products.”
Recently, PackagingInsights discussed the benefits and limitations of advanced recycling methods with an expert from Rabobank.
Eastman’s molecular advances
Eastman is currently constructing what it says will be one of the world’s largest plastic-to-plastic recycling facilities in the US, with completion expected in 2022.
The molecular recycling facility will consume over 200 million pounds annually of landfill-bound waste plastic to make Eastman Renew materials.
The company’s collaboration with P&G joins a line of developments this year; in June, LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics collaborated with Eastman to develop packaging that will eliminate its virgin plastic use.
Eastman also recently unveiled Cristal One, a portfolio of Resin Identification Code 1 resins engineered to meet the demands of thick-walled packaging for luxury cosmetics, which can be easily recycled. The resin products are the first RIC1 materials that enable the production of transparent jars up to 12 mm in thickness, the company notes.
Edited
By Louis Gore-Langton
