Increased recycled content for roto moulded products
Brand owners and EU legislation behind push for post-consumer recycled content in products
WHILE virgin polyethylene is the most used material in roto moulding, demand is growing for recycled content as brands look to increase the recycled content in their products and European legislation starts to push for mandatory PCR content, starting with packaging; but other products are sure to follow.
Jens Vancoppenolle, sales manager at Beologic, part of the Sustainable Development Group (SDG), says it now provides ‘future-proof’ roto moulding grades based on PCR materials, bio-based content, biodegradable materials and lightweight foams. Their sustainable solutions are categorised on a grid with a vertical axis of bio-based vs fossil-based and a horizontal axis from durable to biodegradable.
“Natural fibres and bio-based content can create a natural look or a concrete/cement look, but more importantly, it replaces fossil feedstock with renewable feedstock. Incorporating natural fibres in roto moulding is not without its challenges. These include lower strength making double-layer products more suitable and a combination with a foamed inner layer creates a more sustainable product,” he says.
“These foaming materials fall under the Beosmart category where the sustainability comes from the product more than the raw material, focusing on reducing weight, design for recycling and long lifetime of products.”
The biodegradable materials can be both bio-based and fossil-based but are mainly a blend and can even be filled with wood or other fillers. These materials are interesting for products with a short lifetime and to avoid the formation of microplastics at the end of their lifetime. However, this is less applicable to most roto-moulded products.
Probably the most important category for roto moulding is the recycled product range. PCR materials need better process control as roto moulding is a pressureless process that, unlike injection moulding and extrusion, is less forgiving. Factors such as weight, oven temperatures, cooking times and rotation speed are all important and parameters need to be adjusted to each part.
“No more ‘Turn and Burn’,” quips Vancoppenolle. Some common recycled sources in Beologic’s portfolio include artificial grass, end-of-life maritime gear, caps and closures, agricultural nets and bindery and packaging waste from the textile industry. These materials are available ranging from 33%, 50%, 66% and even 100% recycled content. Larger products are easier to mould with these recycled powders, but Beologic also provides materials that work for very complex designs, for example with kiss-offs, but sometimes even this remains a challenge. In this case, Beologic tries to help by applying its material expertise to find a solution case by case.
When it comes to recycled materials, other challenges for material suppliers are stability in quality and supply, level of degradation, variations in melt flow behaviour and pollution of foreign plastics, requiring a balancing act to produce a consistent quality. It is this balancing act that Beologic provides its future-proof Beocycle roto moulding powders.
“There needs to be cooperation throughout the value chain in choosing the right products, finding stability in processing and matching colours and requirements that are acceptable to the brand,” says Vancoppenolle. Finding this sweet spot can take some time, and he warns roto moulders not to wait for legislation as trial materials need to be tested and this takes time.
