Milliken has earned RecyClass approval for its Millad NX 8000 technology, the company has announced. The clarifying agent is fully compatible with polypropylene recycling processes in Europe and poses no recyclability issues, said RecyClass, a cross-industry initiative that works to advance plastic packaging recyclability on the continent.
The approval applies to the technology itself. The packaging incorporating the technology must meet a number of requirements in order to be considered fully compatible with the PP recycling stream. Use of the product, for example, must not exceed a maximum content of 0,4% compared to the overall packaging weight.
Testing was carried out by Plastics Forming Enterprise, in accordance with the APR PP Critical and Application Guidance protocol, under which a concentration limit of 50% was tested.
Millad NX 8000, including its variants Millad NX 8000E for PP blow molding applications, and Millad NX 8000 ECO, a sustainable clarifying agent for PP, is the preferred choice of resin producers around the world. Use of the technology yields faster production rates and average energy savings of 10% in the production of injection moulded clarified polypropylene parts.
It moreover addresses concerns related to migration, especially in food contact applications, by lowering the specific migration limits without adding any new ingredients to the formulation.
Just last year, the clarifier received Critical Guidance Recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in the US, validating that the additive is compatible with plastic packaging recycling.
This latest certification from RecyClass is further confirmation of the technology’s potential to promote the establishment of a genuine circular economy for plastic packaging.