Milliken & Company has become part of the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, an industry collaboration established by The Recycling Partnership to improve polypropylene (PP) plastic recovery and recycling in the US. Milliken will make available its material science expertise to help the organisation increase the supply of high-quality recycled PP plastic.
Milliken will help increase the supply of high-quality recycled PP plastic in a variety of ways, including funding the coalition’s efforts to enhance the PP recycling infrastructure nationwide, establishing consumer education programmes that encourage curbside recycling, and offering its product portfolio to packaging producers looking to use recycled PP plastic material. The move is part of Milliken’s multi-pronged strategy aimed to amplify plastic circularity.
According to The Recycling Partnership’s 2020 State of Curbside Recycling report, as much as 1.6 billion pounds of PP plastic may be available per year from single-family homes for potential recycling into new products. The Polypropylene Recycling Coalition aims to improve PP recycling in the US by awarding grant dollars for sorting equipment and supporting consumer education programmes and research. Through these efforts, the coalition will help make it easier for people to recycle PP plastic and ensure more recyclers can effectively sort the material in their facilities.
“Milliken’s partnership with the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition illustrates our goal of convening thought leaders within the plastics industry to help create meaningful solutions to address the plastics end-of-life challenge,” shares Halsey Cook, president and CEO for Milliken & Company.
“Our membership in the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition is one way we are improving the quality and performance of recycled polypropylene,” adds Allen Jacoby, senior vice president, plastics additives for Milliken’s Chemical Division. “It will add a new dimension to our goal to boost plastic circularity—which includes maintaining a robust portfolio of additives and modifiers.”
Milliken’s DeltaMax Performance Modifiers, UltraFit Solutions and Millad NX 8000 clarifying agent promote the recyclability of PP plastic packaging. DeltaMax Performance Modifiers optimise the physical properties and processability of recycled PP plastic resins, particularly their impact resistance and melt flow. UltraFit Solutions allow converters to use recycled PP plastic resins to produce parts with consistent dimensional tolerances. Millad NX 8000 clarifier received Critical Guidance Recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in 2019. This recognition for innovative materials validates that Millad NX 8000 clarifier is compatible with plastic packaging recycling and does not adversely affect the recyclability of PP parts.
Polypropylene plastic offers important sustainability advantages in food and non-food packaging applications, including high-performance mechanical properties that reduce the amount of material required in an application compared to other resins. Because it can be used in containers, closures and labels, PP plastic helps avoid multilayer constructions that are traditionally difficult to recycle. Milliken clarifiers, nucleating agents, performance modifiers and other additive solutions help ensure that PP plastic can be successfully recycled and made available for reuse in various applications, preserving its value and extending its useful life.
