Avient Corp. highlighted several newly developed materials, many of them sustainable, at NPE2024.
"Sustainability is core to our strategy," said Walter Ripple, sustainability vice president, at NPE2024. "It's in our culture. It's what we do and who we are."
Ripple added that many major brands are asking for sustainable materials and that research has shown sales of sustainably-marketed products grow at more than double the rate of standard products.
Avon Lake, Ohio-based Avient, which was still known as PolyOne at NPE2018, generates one-third of its annual sales from sustainable solutions. Ninety percent of the firm's current technology platforms support sustainability.
Newly developed products in focus for Avient at NPE2024 include:
• Nymax REC-brand recycled nylon formulations. These nylon 6 and 6/6 grades can have almost 80 percent recycled content, resulting in up to 81 percent lower cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint than traditional alternatives. Potential applications include ATV structural components and automotive uses.
• Versaflex HC BO-brand thermoplastic elastomers are a finalist for the Plastics Industry Association's People's Choice for Plastics Sustainability Innovation Award. A grade of this bio-derived TPE has been developed for biopharmaceutical tubing.
• ColorMatrix Capture-brand oxygen scavenger is a finalist for the U.S. Plastics Pact's 2024 Sustainable Packaging Innovation Award for Recyclability. Officials said Capture is a groundbreaking oxygen-scavenging technology embedded in closures for PET packaging that can enhance product preservation sustainably.
• Cesa Unify-brand polyolefin compatibilizer is a finalist for Product Technology Innovation of the Year for sustainable packaging at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) 2024. Officials said this innovative additive enables the use of recycled polyolefins by creating a homogeneous polymer mixture, bridging the gap between virgin and recycled polymers.
Avient is one of North America's largest producers of compounds, concentrates, composites and protective fibers. The firm posted sales of $3.1 billion in 2023.