Nova commercializes new rPE grades for packaging

Nova Chemicals Corp., based in Calgary, Alberta, has announced the commercialization of two new recycled polyethylene (rPE) resin grades under its Syndigo portfolio.

The new resins, rPE-IN3 and rPE-IN4, are made from 100 percent postconsumer recycled linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) film and are designed for general purpose, nonfood-grade applications throughout North America, according to the company. They are produced at the company’s Syndigo1 facility located in Connersville, Indiana.

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Nova says the grades are suitable for can liners, protective packaging, carryout bags, overwrap, shrink film, heavy duty snacks and more. In particular, rPE-IN3 is manufactured from rPE stretch films and rPE-IN4 is manufactured from mixed retail PE films, both collected from distribution centers and back-of-store sources.

“These new Syndigo grades have been testing tremendously with our customers over the last several months and we are excited to make them widely available in commercial quantities,” says Alan Schrob, director of Mechanical Recycling at Nova. “Our Syndigo1 facility shows that film-to-film recycling is very real, and we are thrilled to deliver against our customers’ expectations around quality, consistency and scale.”

The current Syndigo portfolio includes a white LLDPE resin designed for various film applications, including protective packaging and carryout bags, and a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) resin available for both food- and nonfood-contact applications.

Later this year, the company says it expects to broaden its portfolio to include a 100 percent-recycled LLDPE for food-contact applications, adding that its mechanically recycled Syndigo products enable the use of postconsumer resin (PCR) in rigid and flexible packaging formats, including pouches, bottles and films.

The 450,000-square-foot Syndigo1 facility was commissioned in 2025 and the company expects the site to reach full production capacity of more than 100 million pounds of rPE annually this year. The facility and its four processing lines are operated by Nova partner and packaging manufacturer Novolex, headquartered in North Carolina.