The Challenge
According to projections, the world may produce over 400 million tons of plastic waste annually by 2030 (National Geographic). Consumer demand for more sustainable, eco-friendly products continues to grow along with regulatory pressure. Recycled plastics can be used to create new products across several industries, but one brand owner in particular was looking to incorporate recycled plastics in their consumer applications. The sustainability goals were clear: conserve more material, reduce energy usage, and reduce plastic waste in the environment.
The Solution
Avient developed new recycled-content materials to enable its customers to achieve their goals and add options for the circular economy. Available in North America, injection-moldable reSound™ REC TPEs utilize 9-83% recycled content, and both grades can be overmolded onto polypropylene (PP). PCR grades are formulated with different types of recycled content: ocean plastics; food packaging from a variety of sources (including content that received a No Objection Letter from the U.S. FDA); oil; or polyvinyl butyral (PVB) from windshields and laminated building glass supplied by Shark Solutions. These TPE grades, formulated for consumer applications, can be used in personal care products, lawn and garden tools, outdoor goods, office supplies, footwear, and houseware durables.
The Impact
reSound REC recycled content formulations helped this brand owner deliver on their sustainability goals. By using recycled content, the customer made significant strides toward the circular economy, conserved materials and reduced energy usage by over 65%. Additionally, for every one ton of plastic recycled, the customer saves planet Earth the equivalent of 1,000–2,000 gallons of gasoline.*
*Plastics Industry Association