Picking the right part and the right process starts with the right partner. Recycled plastics in extruded parts are a real possibility — when you work with an experienced, well-resourced vendor.
The pandemic refocused attention on reshoring many manufacturing processes. Supply-chain bottlenecks and material shortages are changing how OEMs work with their customers — and that includes a renewed focus on sustainability, especially as it relates to virgin plastics.
Conversations around recycling and closed-loop manufacturing have ebbed and flowed for 30 years, but today it feels less like a trend and more like the future. Between consumer expectations, government mandates in Europe, and new U.S. laws aimed at reducing carbon emissions, interest in sustainable plastics may be more than fleeting.
Research from Stanford found a roughly 1-to-1 relationship between an ounce of PET plastic and an ounce of carbon dioxide — for every ounce of PET produced, an ounce of carbon is emitted. Because most plastics are still made from petroleum or natural gas, the entire product cycle touches a carbon-emitting process, from extraction to fabrication.
How much less carbon is emitted when you use recycled plastic? The short answer: a lot. Recycling and remanufacturing plastic conserves at least 30% of the carbon emissions — an estimated annual reduction of 30 to 170 million tons of CO₂.
Recycling and remanufacturing plastic conserves at least 30% of the carbon emissions of producing it new.
Motivated companies can usually find ways to use more sustainable bio or recycled plastics — but the process is far from standardized and very much in flux. OEMs often have to make significant modifications to existing machinery and, in some cases, to systems like ventilation and humidity control.
Some plastics are far easier to recycle and reuse than others. HDPE, for example, has a much lower melt temperature (125°C) than PET (260°C). The bottom line: you need to work with an OEM familiar enough with their own equipment, machine floor, and your product needs to determine whether existing technology can deliver what you need.
Virgin plastics behave entirely differently than recycled plastics, which may require additives (color, moisture controls, additional solids, and more) to stay stable after they cool. To retrofit equipment, a manufacturer has to address several questions:
Retrofits usually create knock-on effects across the rest of the process. Your OEM needs enough redundancy and a big-enough staffing footprint to take machines and staff offline to retrofit, test, and modify as they go — and not every vendor has the capacity to dedicate those resources today.
Start by working with an extruded-plastics expert who has broad experience in industries that already use recycled materials. The automotive industry has led the way in post-consumer recycled content — recycled PET is increasingly found in car interiors, and Volvo announced a goal of at least 25% recycled plastic in its cars. That gives extrusion partners with automotive experience a leg up, and Custom Profiles works with a range of automotive companies.
Because of our consultative approach, we've built a holistic knowledge base about which so-called ocean plastics are stable and strong enough for specific applications. Recycled content doesn't always match the necessary outcomes — and our experts never recommend recycled materials if doing so would impact the quality or safety of the part.
Before we begin any process, we work from the specs our client provides, focusing on what's optimal for both the part and the customer's economics. Thanks to our team's expertise in the science of plastics and recycled materials, we can tailor the entire design, engineering, and tooling process — and tell you honestly whether recycled plastics are even possible for your job.
If your team is wrestling with whether recycled or virgin plastic is best for your product, we can help. Connect with us to discuss your extrusion needs today.