With the ongoing transition to the circular economy, demand for recycled and biobased raw materials is on the rise. Brand owners, manufacturers and converters across the industry are all aware of the need to comply with the stringent new requirements under the upcoming Green Deal.
Keeping apace with these changes, PolyOne has announced that it is expanding the production capacity for its post-industrial recycled nylon grades and bio-based thermoplastic elastomers into Europe.
Explaining the decision, the company pointed to the public commitments from brands across a range of industries to increase their use of recycled plastics. Moreover, the global market for bioplastics is predicted to grow by roughly 25 percent over the next five years, according to the European Bioplastics Association. Only a fifth of the production capacity is located in Europe, but this is predicted to grow to up to 27 percent by 2023.
Specifically, PolyOne is adding production of its Nymax PIR, a post-industrial recycled nylon, at its Barbach, Spain, site. Items such as carpet are used to produce Nymax. PolyOne’s ReSound thermoplastic elastomer for overmolding thermoplastic elastomers, is being made in Gaggenau, Germany.
Nymax PIR, with a comparable performance to prime polyamide grades, is an excellent alternative to prime nylon in many industries and applications, including automotive, outdoor high performance and industrial.
The company’s ReSound, available in four overmolding grades compatible with rigid polypropylene and one suited to ABS, utilize between 40 and 50 percent bio-renewable content derived from sugarcane. The materials offer hardness levels and performance comparable to standard TPEs and are suitable for applications such as cosmetics packaging, personal care products, and consumer electronics.