Star Plastics receives certification to produce postconsumer PCR products

Star Plastics, Ravenswood, West Virginia, and its partner site, Star Advance Materials Co. Ltd. in Shandong, China, have received recycled plastic validation through UL Environment certification (ULE) to produce postconsumer recycled (PCR) products under the ULE requirements.

According to a news release from Star Plastics, the ULE certification for Star Plastics’ products manufactured at the Shandong location validates PCR supply streams through various site audits and documentation of material movement from source to compounding. Star Plastics says this certifies that the PCR content used to compound the product line is certified recycled plastic material sourced from known origins.

“With the rise in demand for recycled plastic materials, such as postconsumer and ocean-bound plastics, there was a market need for validation of these materials,” Star Plastics states.

“OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) want that validation; they want to ensure that the sustainability claims they’re making to their customers through using our material are true,” says Michael Watson, chief representative for Star Plastics – Asia. “This gives them credibility in the market, gaining their customers’ trust.”

As a regulatory compliance company, ULE aims to support suppliers who are working with PCR and ocean-bound plastics to combat against companies with “false claims of recycled content,” Star Plastics states of the certification. The certification, UL 2809, measures and validates preconsumer and postconsumer defined source material content.

“As one of only a handful of companies with this UL Environment certification, we’re excited to be at the forefront of offering outside verification for our sustainable, recycled-content products,” says Doug Ritchie, president and CEO of Star Plastics.

ULE has certified more than 25 grades of Star Plastics’ acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate ABS (PC/ABS) and polycarbonate (PC) compounded products, which all contain a range of 5 percent to 85 percent recycled plastic. Star Plastics says the recycled-content percentages of these materials are comprised of varying combinations of postconsumer recycled content, internet technology equipment recycled material and/or ocean-bound plastics.

Star Plastics reports that this ULE-certified Star product line is currently used in electronics applications, such as laptops, printers and data trays, adding that these PCR-validated materials are also well-suited for other applications that use ABS, PC/ABS and PC polymers for any OEM with sustainability initiatives.

Through partnerships in China, Star Plastics has been a postconsumer material compounder since 2008, developing recycled plastic products with customers to meet environmental initiatives in the electronics and personal computer markets. Star Plastics says these products have been developed using ocean-bound and other postconsumer recycled content materials in collaboration with major OEMs.