PureCycle, Aptar partner to produce recycled polypropylene resin

AptarGroup, a Crystal Lake, Illinois-based global business focused on dispensing, drug delivery and active packaging solutions, has announced that it has partnered with PureCycle Technologies LLC to prepare for the introduction of PureCycle’s Ultra-Pure Recycled Polypropylene (UPRP) into dispensing applications.

PureCycle’s recycling process, developed and licensed by Procter & Gamble, separates color, odor and any other contaminants from plastic feedstock to transform it into UPRP resin with virgin-like properties. The process closes the loop in the reuse of recycled plastics while making recycled plastics more accessible at scale to companies that want to use a sustainable recycled resin, AptarGroup reports in a news release on the partnership.

Over the next three years, Aptar will collaborate with and provide feedback to PureCycle regarding the transformation process of its UPRP. Also, Aptar will play a role in helping PureCycle prepare for the food-grade requirements in Europe.

“We are pleased to partner with PureCycle Technologies to introduce UPRP into our ever-growing portfolio of dispensing systems,” says Stephan Tanda, president and CEO of Aptar. “Customers are seeking robust solutions when it comes to sustainable packaging, especially in the food and cosmetics markets, and we believe there are many applications for UPRP that will satisfy those unmet needs. This critical partnership further reinforces our commitment to supporting a circular economy where products and materials are reused or recycled and do not become waste.”

Through the partnership, Aptar will have access to the UPRP resin and will make recommendations and propose solutions to help its customers achieve sustainable packaging goals. 

“Aptar’s broad technical expertise, deep market knowledge, and operational preeminence in both the US and European markets will help PureCycle further accelerate our expansion into Europe,” says Mike Otworth, CEO of PureCycle Technologies. “This is not only a technical validation of our process but a commercial validation of our model that plastic waste is valuable and we as a society must act now to make plastics recycling a reality.”

According to the news release from Aptar, PureCycle is rapidly progressing toward its bond offering with Piper Jaffray to build its first plant in Lawrence County, Ohio. PureCycle’s Feedstock Evaluation Unit is also currently operational. The new facility in Lawrence County is expected to recycle about 119 million pounds of polypropylene and is expected to produce about 100 million pounds of UPRP per year starting in 2021.