Milliken & Co. has joined the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, an industry-based collaboration established by the Recycling Partnership to improve polypropylene (PP) recovery and recycling in the United States. Milliken will help fund the coalition’s efforts to enhance the PP recycling infrastructure nationwide, establish consumer education programs that encourage curbside recycling, and support a robust supply of high-quality recycled PP for packaging producers through its own product portfolio.

According to the Recycling Partnership’s 2020 State of Curbside Recycling report, as much as 1.6 billion pounds of PP may be available per year from single-family homes for potential recycling into new products. The Polypropylene Recycling Coalition aims to improve PP recycling in the United States by awarding grant dollars for sorting equipment and supporting consumer education programs and research. Through these efforts, the coalition will help make it easier for people to recycle PP and ensure that more recyclers can effectively sort the material in their facilities.

“Milliken’s partnership with the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition illustrates our goal of convening thought leaders within the plastics industry to help create meaningful solutions to address the plastics end-of-life challenge,” said Halsey Cook, President and CEO, Milliken & Co.

The Spartanburg, SC–based company provides several products for recycled polypropylene, including its DeltaMax performance modifiers, UltraFit solutions, and Millad NX 8000 clarifying agent. DeltaMax performance modifiers optimize the physical properties and processability of recycled PP resins, particularly their impact resistance and melt flow. UltraFit solutions allow converters to use recycled PP resins to produce parts with consistent dimensional tolerances.

Millad NX 8000 clarifier received Critical Guidance Recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers in 2019, validating that Millad NX 8000 is compatible with plastic packaging recycling and does not adversely affect the recyclability of PP parts, explained Milliken.

“Milliken strongly supports industry engagement to solve problems like plastic recycling that are larger and more complex than one organization can handle,” said Allen Jacoby, Senior Vice President, Plastics Additive, Milliken. “We are actively participating in initiatives that support a broader use of polypropylene — especially recycled content — in packaging and other industries. Our additives already help enhance the quality and performance of recycled polypropylene, and membership in the coalition will add a new dimension to our multi-pronged approach to circularity,” said Jacoby.