Highlight 01 of FY2020
Certification of TOPAS®COC as a “Recyclable Material”
Boosting production capacity to realize a circular economy
Related SDGs
Polyplastics’ product, TOPAS®COC, has received third-party certification as a recyclable material. It is expected to meet and exceed existing plastic recycling-related needs, particularly in the increasingly circular economy-minded European market.
Providing plastic recycling-related solutions
In 2020, the Council of the European Union adopted the “Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment,” which puts a ban on the distribution of commonly used, disposable plastic products, such as straws and cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks, etc.), by 2021.
Also, in order to further accelerate market movement towards plastic recycling for the sake of establishing a circular economy, this directive establishes an extended producer responsibility* for all packaging materials that will take effect by 2024. It is in this context that TOPAS has received third-party certification as “an olefin resin and recyclable material.”
*Extended producer responsibility:
An approach to producer responsibility which expands the scope beyond product production and usage to encompass disposal and recycling as well
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Applications using TOPAS
There are many examples of PET bottle shrink labels, stand-up pouches and other packaging materials widely used throughout Europe which add TOPAS®together with PE and PP olefin resins in order to provide functional enhancement.
The acquired third-party certification indicates that TOPAS can be recycled together with olefin resins, like those contained in these packaging materials, in a specially designated disposal process, thereby contributing to the development of polyolefin monomaterials and recycling promotion of packaging materials.
Shrink labels for PET bottles and other containers
Stand-up pouches
Significance of this certification
TOPAS has been adopted in a broad range of fields, including healthcare and food packaging, thanks to its superior transparency and safety. In addition, due to the fact that TOPAS is, broadly speaking, an olefin resin similar to PE and PP, it has been increasingly adopted in recent years as an easily recyclable plastic for use with PET bottles and other shrink label and stand-up pouch applications, and it is already widely available within Europe. The circular economy concept is being increasingly implemented throughout Europe, requiring producers and processors to use soft “polyolefin monomaterials” (i.e., materials made solely from olefin resins) for their packaging materials due to the fact that they are perfectly suited to recycling, and this is making TOPAS an increasingly indispensable material. This certification objectively proves that TOPAS can be recycled as a monomaterial together with PE and PP olefin resins in general. It is expected that the acquisition of third-party certification will greatly reassure both the industries currently using TOPAS and the companies considering using it about the reliability.
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Third-party certification acquired
Certificate attesting to the fact that TOPAS can be recycled together with PE
Certificate attesting to the fact that TOPAS can be recycled together with PP
Construction of No. 2 Plant in 2023 to meet supply needs
With demand for TOPAS continuing to grow, local German subsidiary TOPAS Advanced Polymers GmbH will establish a new plant in Leuna that is scheduled to start operation in 2023 aside from existing plant in Oberhausen. This new plant will have an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons, which is more than double the current capacity and, moving forward, will serve as a central production hub for providing customers with a stable supply of TOPAS.
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