The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), an international trade association representing the plastics recycling industry, has granted Critical Guidance Recognition to Polyplastics USA for high-gloss HDPE containers with 20% cyclic olefin copolymer (TOPAS 8007F-600) outer layer (COC). The APR recognition demonstrates that Polyplastics’ TOPAS COC is compatible with the HDPE recycle stream.

To meet the packaging industry’s demands for a circular economy, Polyplastics developed data to support industry-wide sustainability efforts. This will allow companies to use COC to enhance the performance of recyclable products. The APR’s Critical Guidance Recognition follows TOPAS COC’s certification last year as a recyclable material by the European independent testing lab, Institut cyclos-HTP. In Europe, TOPAS materials are the first cyclic olefin resins in the industry deemed recyclable with polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) for film and injection molding uses. 

“This APR recognition for COC is an important development for brand owners, manufacturers and processors who seek recycled packaging solutions to meet today’s broad sustainability needs,” says Paul Tatarka, market development manager for Polyplastics USA. “We are now able to offer important evidence that COC can be used and recycled in HDPE in rigid blow molding applications.” 

Blow molded HDPE containers with 20% COC outer layer reportedly present a challenging test condition. The package satisfies APR Critical Guidance criteria of procedure HDPE-CG-01 and bottle-to-bottle test protocol, which APR says improves the quality of the recycled bottle stream by helping companies make informed decisions about the consequences of packaging solutions. 

Polyplastics is working with customers to develop extrusion blow molded (EBM) rigid containers for personal care applications. The company will also work with APR to meet its Critical Guidance for the use of COC in flexible film recycling streams. 

For more information visit www.topas.com and www.plasticsrecycling.org.