Purecycle and Milliken create “first-ever” fully recyclable resin PP concentrate
26 Oct 2022 --- Milliken & Company and PureCycle Technologies have collaborated on the “first fully environmentally sustainable” concentrate for PP on the market made from recycled resin. The resin advances circularity as the concentrate will allow for greater use of 100% recycled content.
Milliken specializes in polymer additives and colorant technology while PureCycle has a patented recycling process that was developed and licensed by Procter & Gamble, which separates color, odor and other contaminants from PP waste feedstock to transform it into an ultra-pure, virgin-like resin.
US-based PureCycle used its already-designed materials to create the resin. Milliken’s additives play a critical role in reinvigorating recycled PP (rPP) to create circularity in the new material.
“At the time of our announcement we are in the initial stages of developing the ideal format for our concentrate solution, taking into account the market and needs of our customer base. With this research, we are confident we can bring a sustainable solution to the markets we serve,” Katie Kellogg, global product line manager at Milliken tells PackagingInsights.
“First-of-its-kind” PP concentrate
The resin is the first odorless concentrate for PP based on a recycled resin carrier. When it is used in combination with PureCycle’s recycled PP it has a 35% lower carbon footprint than virgin PP.
PureCycle Technologies and Milliken & Company create virgin-like PP packaging solution from recycled resin. The material is formulated using Milliken’s Millad NX 8000 Eco clarifier. The clarifier allows for certified energy savings, allowing brands to put the UL Environmental Claim Validation label on their injection-molded parts.
The vessels created from the resin can be used for many types of packaging and containment needs by brands and gives the ability to broadcast its fully recyclable functionality to appeal to eco-conscious consumers.
“Milliken’s focus on sustainability and providing sustainable solutions to the market, we felt it was important to enable growth not just within our neat additive formats, but also on our concentrate solutions formats,” says Kellogg.
“This concentrate enables more opportunity for recycled content to be introduced into our markets.
Other collaborations
PureCycle recently expanded to its second facility in Augusta, Georgia, US supplied by Koch Modular. “This agreement opens up more possibilities to address the global need for an environmentally responsible plastics lifecycle,” said Brian Loftus, vice president of Koch Modular Process Systems.
Earlier this year, PureCycle signed an agreement to open Asia’s first recycled PPplant in Ulsan, South Korea. The facility is expected to have an annual capacity of 60,000 tons and is expected to be completed by 2025.
Meanwhile, PureCycle set to provide Berry Global with PureCycle’s Ultra-Pure Recycled resin. The producer was and still is, actively expanding its recycled resin supply globally, including securing Borealis’ first volumes of circular polyolefins made from chemical recycling.
Additionally, Veolia recently launched a new brand of recycled plastics to provide customers with a variety of ready-to-use recycled resins: PET, PP, HDPE, polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, LDPE and polycarbonate.
By Sabine Waldeck
