In the latest of a growing list of advanced recycling material sourcing announcements from Berry Global Group, the company says it has now signed a significant contract with PureCycle to secure the supply of that company’s Ultra-Pure Recycled (UPR) advanced recycled resin over the longer term.
As a result of this latest agreement, Berry will have access to more than 600 million pounds (over 272 thousand tonnes) a year of recycled plastic material by 2025.
As demand for sustainable products grows, converters will increasingly be competing for access to materials that will lower the environmental impact of the end products produced.
Already, if given the option to buy products with recyclable or compostable packaging, 47% of Americans opt for recyclable products as their first choice, and 20% prefer compostable products, according to market research from Ipsos, in August 2021. However, post-consumer resin often lacks the high clarity customers require. Circular resins from advanced recycling provide virgin-like properties, including the desired high clarity and are suitable for food-contact applications.
“Through our access to advanced recycled resin and technical expertise, Berry is a dependable partner for customers in the implementation of sustainable solutions,” said Tom Salmon, Berry’s Chairman and CEO. “By using our relationships with top suppliers and the latest technologies, we bring our customers premier access to in-demand circular resins.”
PureCycle’s recycling process separates colour, odour, and contaminants from plastics waste feedstock to transform it into ultra-pure recycled polypropylene resin.
The process fully closes the loop on the reuse of recycled plastics while making recycled polypropylene more accessible at scale.
The material will be supplied to Berry in summer 2023 for manufacturing at one of Berry’s ISCC Plus certified facilities, providing customers with maximum traceability for the materials. In July, Berry announced that its facilities in Evansville, Indiana, Nashville, Tennessee, and Odon, Indiana, had received ISCC Plus certification from SCS Global Services, as the first three sites in North America to do so.
Earlier this year, Berry signed a long-term supply agreement for ISCC PLUS-certified, advanced recycled feedstock resins by mass balance with LyondellBasell; the company is also collaborating with Borealis for access to that company’s first volumes of chemically recycled circular polyolefins.
Plastic packaging manufacturer Berry Global Group employs 47,000 global employees across more than 300 locations. Berry generated $12.6 billion of pro forma net sales in FY2019.