Green expansions: Avient expands rPA6 production to Turkey; Alpla to double recycling capacity by 2030

US materials producer Avient Corporation has announced that production of its Nymax REC recycled nylon formulations is expanding to Istanbul, Turkey. This will increase accessibility to these sustainability-supporting, REACH-compliant solutions for customers in Middle Eastern countries.

These PA6-based Nymax REC formulations contain between 20-100% recycled content from registered sources approved by the European Union regulation for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), such as recycled textiles. They offer comparable performance to virgin nylon grades, including high strength, durability, impact resistance, and weather resistance.

These formulations can be combined with a wide range of reinforcements, modifiers, and fillers to enhance performance requirements and can be tailored to provide chemical resistance and flame retardancy, says the company.

“Expanding production of these grades to Istanbul, using locally sourced recycled content, means we can offer Turkish and Middle Eastern countries these REACH-compliant solutions while helping to reduce the environmental impact of transporting these materials,” said Matt Mitchell, Director, Global Marketing of Specialty Engineered Materials at Avient. “It shows our strengthened commitment to providing sustainable solutions and supports our customers in achieving their sustainability goals.”

By using recycled materials, these formulations can also offer lower Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) values than virgin nylon equivalents. As with all Avient products, certified PCF values are available, it adds.

These materials can be used in many industries and applications, including automotive, industrial, electrical, and electronics sectors.

Meanwhile in other news, Austrian packaging manufacturer Alpla, which increased its turnover by EUR200 million to EUR4.9 billion last year, has announced plans to double its current recycling capacity to 700,000 tonnes/year by 2030.

Alpla also announced it will open a new plant in Thailand in 2025, but it did not mention any other information about the location and capacity. The company said the decision was made due to the significant growth offered by the Asia-Pacific region, with lower costs of labour and energy compared to Europe an attraction, too.

The company operates 13 recycling plants in nine countries, producing recycled PET and recycled HDPE, and last year opened its first PET recycling plant in South Africa. It also operates PET mechanical recycling facilities in Germany, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Romania, Thailand, and Mexico.

With an annual investment of EUR50 million in recycling infrastructure, the company says it is on track to achieving its short-term target of incorporating 25% recycled material into its packaging this year.

Alpla’s success in 2024 was driven by strong growth in South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Demand in North and Central America also recovered, the company’s CEO Philipp Lehner said in a statement.

According to Lehner, Alpla is also experiencing an upward trend in Europe, though he said that market conditions remain challenging.

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