AdvanSix launches recycled polyamide with 100% recycled content

        AdvanSix has developed recycled polyamide products made from 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials that complement AdvanSix’s 100% post-industrial recycled (PIR) grades of polyamide. Recycled polyamides include AdvanSix Aegis PIR and PCR grade resins and Capran PIR biaxially oriented polyamide (BOPA) film.

        Applications for polyamide products include FDA-compliant food and medical packaging, thermoformed and shrink-wrapped meat and cheese packaging, bag-in-box packaging, as well as home office furniture and automotive components.

        “Plastic and film manufacturers are increasingly demanding reliable, cost-effective, 100% recycled materials,” said Kori Anderson, vice president and general manager of AdvanSix’s Polyamide Solutions Division. “We are excited to bring products to market that may help customers reduce their carbon footprint, reduce impact on landfills, and provide a practical solution to support a variety of end markets and applications to integrate people’s lives in a more sustainable way.”

        Advantages of Recycled Polyamide

       Advantages of Recycled Polyamide

        For processors and film manufacturers, PIR and PCR products offer a range of advantages:

        ◆These materials meet food standards and medical packaging standards.

        ◆Since the physical and mechanical properties of recycled materials are the same as those of conventional polyamides, running recycled materials does not require equipment changes or recertification. As a result, plastic processors and packagers can quickly and easily reduce their carbon footprint.

        ◆These materials exhibit the same processing, molding and durability characteristics as virgin polyamide, providing a sustainable drop-in replacement.

        ◆These products are part of a circular solution that helps plastic processors and film manufacturers achieve their self-imposed sustainability goals without sacrificing performance.

        ◆The 100% recycled content of AdvanSix’s PCR and PIR products has been certified by independent third-party organization SCS Global Services.

        ◆These materials meet recycled content claims according to the FTC’s Green Guide to Environmental Claims.

        Dual-Stream Process for Polyamide Recycling

        Making recycled polyamide with recycled content involves recovering unreacted caprolactam from AdvanSix’s processing waste streams and collecting high-quality PCR waste from industrial customers that use AdvanSix products. The latter includes the company’s polyamide processing partners.

        AdvanSix blends and purifies the PIR and PCR materials and feeds them back into the polyamide production process. It uses third-party certified mass balance and allocation methods to monitor and verify the blended material flow during processing. According to the company, this is a low-energy, high-yield process. This dual-stream approach can produce reliable, cost-effective, high-performance recycled plastics, helping to meet the growing demand for such products from plastics and film manufacturers and minimize the amount of plastic waste going to landfills.