PureCycle Technologies announces partnerships

PureCycle Technologies, Chicago, says it has partnered with global industrial manufacturer Milliken & Co., Spartanburg, South Carolina, and food and beverage company Nestlé S.A., Switzerland, as it progresses toward opening its first plant to chemically recycle polypropylene (PP), producing a product with “virgin-like” quality.

PureCycle’s patented recycling process, developed and licensed by Procter & Gamble (P&G), separates color, odor and other contaminants from end-of-life plastic feedstock to transform it into virgin-like resin, according to the company. Milliken, whose additives will play a critical role in reinvigorating recycled PP, has formed an exclusive supply relationship with PureCycle. Nestlé is working with PureCycle to develop new packaging materials that help avoid plastic waste, in line with the company’s commitment to make all its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.

“These partners are helping us accelerate as we bring this solution to the market,” says Mike Otworth, CEO of PureCycle Technologies, in a press release announcing the partnerships. “This is a validation of our method, and it will help us continue to move even more quickly as we make plastics recycling a reality.”

He adds, “The use of Milliken’s additives will help to ensure that PureCycle’s Ultra Pure Recycled Polypropylene (UPRP) is of the highest quality and adds the maximum value to brand owners and consumers. We believe that this partnership will further differentiate PureCycle as both a leading reclaimer and producer of polypropylene.”

Halsey Cook, president and CEO of Milliken & Co., says, “Milliken understands that creating a sustainable future requires meaningful collaboration with other industry pioneers. We believe PureCycle’s technology combined with Milliken’s leading plastic additives provide a transformative opportunity to elevate the viability of recycled polypropylene and help solve the plastics end-of-life challenge.”

PureCycle says it is in the process of building its first plant in Lawrence County, Ohio. The plant will be able to recycle 119 million pounds of PP annually, producing more than 105 million pounds of the plastic per year starting in 2021, which will be widely available for purchase across industries.

This technology, which was developed by P&G, illustrates the company’s commitment to sustainability and helps in achieving P&G’s recycling goals—doubling the use of recycled resin in plastic packaging and ensuring 90 percent of product packaging is either recyclable or programs are in place to create the ability to recycle it, according to PureCycle.

“Our approach to innovation not only includes products and packaging but technologies that allow us and others to have a positive impact on our environment,” says Kathy Fish, chief research, development and innovation officer at P&G.

“This technology has the capacity to revolutionize the plastics recycling industry by enabling P&G and companies around the world to tap into sources of recycled plastics that deliver nearly identical performance and properties as virgin materials in a broad range of applications,” she adds.