October 15, 2019
CLINTON, Tenn., October 15, 2019 –– In 2018 Techmer PM designed an industry‐first metallic silver using 100% Envision Ocean Bound resin for packaging applications.
In an effort to help eliminate plastic waste and keep our oceans clean, Techmer has now partnered with Denmark‐based clean tech manufacturer PLASTIX to unlock the full potential of obsolete and discarded fishing nets, trawls, and ropes.
By 2050 the world’s oceans are projected to have more plastic waste than fish. Each year an estimated 5-13 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans, more than ten percent of which is discarded fishing gear. Most of these fishing materials are either sent to landfill, burned, or lost at sea, wasting the benefits of these valuable plastic resources. PLASTIX’s innovative process transforms post-use fishing nets, trawls, and ropes into high‐quality recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE) or recycled polypropylene (rPPC) –– both of which they brand as OceanIX.
Through the use of Techmer’s proprietary Techsperse® technology, Techmer is helping its customers use up to 100% recycled materials such as OceanIX while maintaining physical properties and achieving their color and appearance targets. Techmer PM’s exclusive track‐and‐ trace program will also enable brand owners to validate their packaging claims to the consumer, regulatory agencies, or to anyone interested in confirming their commitment to sustainability.
“We have quickly seen great interest in the modified OceanIX material and currently have several development projects pending with consumer packaged goods companies looking to differentiate their brands,” said Steve Loney, Techmer PM’s director of market development.
Not only is Techmer providing a solution to give these materials a second life –– which could become bottles, caps, or closures –– but they are also designing for more durable products such as outdoor furniture and kayaks using their custom‐tailored UV stabilization packages. After their life of service, these materials can then be transformed yet again into another usable form, further reducing or eliminating the need for brand owners and OEMs to rely upon virgin resins made from fossil fuels. This enables a true circular economy.
Techmer PM President Ryan Howley has long been an industry advocate of change for producer responsibility, starting with Techmer’s Operation Clean Sweep pellet‐containment efforts, which began in 2006. “Techmer PM is committed to finding sustainable solutions for our customers and 2 of 3 our industry, and we are proud of our collaboration with an exciting and innovative partner, PLASTIX,” says Howley.
PLASTIX CEO & Co-founder Hans Axel Kristensen, who has driven PLASTIX’s development since its start in 2012, also welcomes this joint collaboration: “Through this joint venture, we can once and for all prove to the industry that recycled plastic raw material can, without the addition of any virgin material, come in all colors –– not just black.” While this collaboration opens up new opportunities for innovative brand owners and designers, it furthermore invalidates many of the excuses product manufacturers have historically given against using recycled plastic material in products.
“Plastic is a wonderous and circular material, but only if we do it right. This means that we have to move away from the concept of waste by recycling all products and that we have to think and act across industries to address the needs of product manufacturers in order to provide 100% sustainable solutions using recycled material,” says Hans Axel Kristensen. PLASTIX is a solution provider intent on helping product manufacturers to do it right, and by the collaboration with Techmer PM, will now be able to reach even more plastic converters for a multitude of applications.
About Techmer PM
Techmer PM, LLC, is a leading materials design company that has been developing creative materials solutions for customers since it was founded in 1981. With a focus on how to modify and fine‐tune the properties of technical polymers, the company thrives on partnering and collaborating with plastics processors, fabricators, designers, specifiers, and brand owners. Drawing on a broad portfolio of resins –– from polyolefins to PEEK –– Techmer PM helps consumer and industrial product manufacturers enhance product function and appearance in scores of end-use markets and helps solve some of their most difficult business, manufacturing, and sustainability challenges. Based in Clinton, Tenn., the company operates six U.S. plants and one Mexico plant and has extensive expertise in virtually every plastics and fiber‐related process, from additive manufacturing and blown film to nonwovens, injection molding, and sheet extrusion. The company has earned numerous honors, including winning a 2017 “R&D 100 Award” from R&D Magazine for its innovative materials design work and being named one of the plastics industry’s “Best Places to Work” multiple times by Plastics News. Learn more by visiting techmerpm.com
About PLASTIX Global
Based in Lemvig, Denmark, PLASTIX is the primary company worldwide specialized in the mechanical recycling of post-use fishing nets, trawls, and ropes. These maritime waste streams that otherwise would end up in the ocean or on landfill are collected globally from harbors, fisheries, waste collectors, as well as netting and rope manufacturers. Upon arriving at PLASTIX’s factory, they are recycled into high-grade and virgin-like Green Plastic raw materials, which reduce CO2 emission by a minimum of 82% in comparison to the use of virgin plastic. PLASTIX realized the need for action to prevent plastic waste from reaching our oceans, even before this topic was highly publicized in the media. Since 2012, they have developed their mechanical recycling technology through a co-creative process, combining custom-made processing technologies and proprietary adjusted equipment to tackle one of the toughest waste streams: plastic fibers. By closely collaborating with all members of the value chain, PLASTIX is able to research, develop, and provide sustainable solutions according to customer specific requirements for a circular economy. Learn more about PLASTIX by visiting plastixglobal.com
For more information, contact:
PLASTIX A/S Fenella Metz
Phone: +45 54 55 55 05
Email: sales@plastixglobal.com
Web: www.plastixglobal.com