A U.S. supplier of recycled polypropylene, PureCycle Technologies, has joined forces with packaging specialist Aptar Group to introduce its ultra-pure recycled polypropylene (UPRP) into dispensing applications.
PureCycle's recycling process, developed and licensed by consumer goods company Procter & Gamble, separates color, odor and any other contaminants from plastic waste feedstock to convert this into UPRP resin with virgin-like properties.
Over the next three years, the companies said in a Sept. 3 statement, Aptar will collaborate with and provide critical feedback to PureCycle regarding the transformation process of its UPRP.
In addition, Aptar will cooperate with PureCycle in preparing its recycled materials to meet food grade requirements in Europe.
The collaboration is expected to help PureCycle with its expansion plans in Europe, as Aptar can offer broad technical expertise and market knowledge in the region, according to Mike Otworth, CEO of PureCycle Technologies.
"This is not only a technical validation of our process, but a commercial validation of our model that plastic waste is valuable and we as a society must act now to make plastics recycling a reality."
PureCycle started up its feedstock evaluation unit in Lawrence County, Ohio, in partnership with P&G in 2015.
The company is now scaling up, expecting to start construction on its first recycling plant in Lawrence County soon.
The plant will have the capacity to recycle over 119 million pounds of polypropylene and to produce 100 million pounds of UPRP per year, starting in 2021.
PureCycle struck a major deal with beauty brand L'Oreal in July for the full subscription of its Ohio plant's capacity with the option for L'Oreal to be among the first purchasers of volume out of its plant in Europe.
With the Ohio plant's capacity sold out two years ahead of start-up, PureCycle is planning for a second plant, this time in Europe, to keep up with demand.