Axion Develops New Recycled Polymer

The U.K.-based company Axion Polymers has developed a variant of its high-grade recycled polymer, Axpoly r-PS01, that comes from plastics from refrigerators that will be used to make toys and other applications.

In a release, Axion notes that the new recycled polymer has seen a significant increase in orders, and the company says that its 100 percent recycled polymer is a testament to its ability to satisfy British Standard testing to BS EN 71-3, which covers the specification for migration of certain elements from within the plastics used to mold components of toys.

Axion notes that it recently supplied 120 metric tons to a producer of molding applications located in Asia.

Axion Director Keith Freegard says, “Proving the EN 71 standard had been met was the key order-winning aspect for the ultimate customer of the molder, a large supermarket chain in central Europe. They had insisted that the molder used a plastic that was both recycled and able to meet the European toy standards. Axpoly r-PS01 was the only material available that hit the spot on both counts, so we won the order on that basis.

“As a result, we have high hopes that our recycled white polymer, which can be colored to any desired shade, will gain wider acceptance and welcome enquiries from other product manufacturers in the toy or promotional gift market,” he adds.

Steve Bell, Axion’s commercial operation manager, says Axion is now working to satisfy the revised specifications for the toy safety standard, which are due to be announced in July. “When we supplied Axpoly r-PS01 to a global stationery product manufacturer for its range of sustainable splinter-free pencils, we had to satisfy the toy standards because people put them in their mouths and chew them,” Bell says.

“It was also important to meet this specification for Marks & Spencer as PS01 was used as a direct replacement for virgin ABS in their new Solutions gift range. Because the polymer is sourced from fridge linings that come into contact with food, it would never have contained any potentially harmful heavy metals from the outset, making it ideal for ‘closed-loop’ re-use in new items, such as toys, gifts and gadgets.”

Axion Polymers is part of the Axion Group, which develops and operates resource recovery and processing solutions for recycling waste materials.