Kraton additives approved for PP containers

Kraton Corp., a Houston-based producer of specialty polymers and biobased products, has announced its CirKular+ Performance Enhancement Series has been approved as fully compatible with recycling of polypropylene (PP) containers in Europe according to RecyClass. 

"We are honored to achieve RecyClass certification for our CirKular+ Performance Enhancement Series," says Holger Jung, senior vice president and polymer segment president at Kraton. “This recognition reinforces our commitment to enable sustainable high-performance solutions to address the plastics industry needs for design recyclability and the advancement of the circular economy.”

According to a news release from Kraton, pellets containing 5 percent atomic weight of either CirKular+ C2000 or C3000 resin blended in an injection molding PP grade matrix were tested according to the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Critical Guidance for PP Rigid Containers.

Brussels-based RecyClass is a cross-industry initiative that works to advance plastic packaging recyclability and to establish a unified approach toward recycled content calculation and traceability in Europe. The organization also helps to develop recyclability evaluation protocols and the scientific testing of innovative materials. 

“We’re pleased to support Kraton in verifying its impact on the quality of recycled PP containers through the testing they previously performed according to APR Critical Guidance for PP Rigid Containers,” says Fabrizio di Gregorio, technical director of plastics recyclers Europe at RecyClass. “Based on our assessment, RecyClass concludes when used at up to 5 percent of total packaging weight along with other met conditions, the CirKular+ C2000 and C3000 resins are fully compatible with the existing European industrial recycling processes for PP containers.”

Kraton says its CirKular+ Performance Enhancement Series allows recyclers, processors and brand owners to maximize postconsumer recycled content and improve the recyclate impact strength by up to 500 percent. Additionally, the company says CirKular+ can offer improved plastic packaging recyclability and durability suitable for a wide range of end-use applications.