Milliken & Company, a trusted expert in polymer additive and colorant technology, and diversified global manufacturer, and PureCycle Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCT), jointly announced that they have created the first fully sustainable concentrate for PP on the market. This development advances circularity, since the concentrate based on PureCycle materials will allow for greater use of 100% recycled content. Additionally, when used in combination with PureCycle’s recycled PP, it produces a formulation with a carbon footprint (GHG) approximately 35% lower than that of virgin PP.
The new concentrate has been formulated using Milliken’s Millad® NX® 8000 ECO clarifier. As an added benefit, the certified energy savings realized by using resin produced with this clarifier allows brand owners to display the much-desired UL Environmental Claim Validation label on their injection-molded parts.
In a press panel at the K 2022 fair in Düsseldorf, Dustin Olson, Chief Executive Officer of PureCycle, and Wim Van de Velde, Global Vice President of Plastics Additives at Milliken, provided an update on their companies’ collaborative efforts since the partnership began in 2019. Today’s announcement of the first odorless concentrate for PP based on a recycled resin carrier was a direct result of that collaboration.
Headquartered in Florida, PureCycle’s patented recycling process was developed and licensed by The Procter & Gamble Co. The game-changing technology separates color, odor and other contaminants from PP waste feedstock to transform it into ultra-pure, virgin-like resin.
Milliken’s technical leadership and top-tier additives play a critical role in reinvigorating recycled polypropylene (rPP) for PureCycle. By providing a backbone of support through the principal scientist role, and across their broader R&D team, and by establishing an exclusive supply relationship with PureCycle, Milliken is helping to address the plastics end-of-life challenge.
