AptarGroup, Inc., a global leader in dispensing, drug delivery and active packaging solutions, announced today that it has partnered with PureCycle Technologies, to prepare for the introduction of PureCycle’s Ultra-Pure Recycled Polypropylene (UPRP) into dispensing applications.

PureCycle’s ground-breaking, patented recycling process, developed and licensed by Procter & Gamble, separates color, odor and any other contaminants from plastic waste feedstock to transform it into UPRP resin with virgin-like properties. This process fully closes the loop in the reuse of recycled plastics while making recycled plastics more accessible at scale to companies desiring to use a sustainable, recycled resin.

Over the next three years, Aptar, an expert in transforming resin into products that delight consumers, will collaborate with and provide critical feedback to PureCycle regarding the transformation process of its UPRP. In addition to providing detailed feedback into how the resin performs during the transformation process, Aptar will play an integral role in helping PureCycle prepare for the food grade requirements in Europe.

“We are pleased to partner with PureCycle Technologies to introduce UPRP into our ever-growing portfolio of dispensing systems. Customers are seeking robust solutions when it comes to sustainable packaging, especially in the food and cosmetics markets, and we believe there are many applications for UPRP that will satisfy those unmet needs,” stated Stephan Tanda, President and CEO of Aptar. “This critical partnership further reinforces our commitment to supporting a circular economy where products and materials are reused or recycled and do not become waste.”

Aptar will have access to the UPRP resin and will make recommendations and propose solutions to help its customers achieve their sustainable packaging goals. This partnership further integrates PureCycle across the value chain to identify more opportunities for a circular product life cycle.

“Aptar’s broad technical expertise, deep market knowledge, and operational preeminence in both the US and European markets will help PureCycle further accelerate our expansion into Europe,” said Mike Otworth, CEO of PureCycle Technologies. “This is not only a technical validation of our process, but a commercial validation of our model that plastic waste is valuable and we as a society must act now to make plastics recycling a reality.”

With the Feedstock Evaluation Unit operational, PureCycle is rapidly progressing towards its bond offering with Piper Jaffray to build its first plant in Lawrence County, Ohio. The facility is expected to recycle 119 million pounds of polypropylene, and is expected to produce approximately 100 million pounds of UPRP per year starting in 2021.

The global polypropylene market is valued at more than $80 billion, according to Transparency Market research, and is on track to reach $133.3 billion by 2023. The Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) has identified 1 billion pounds of recycled polypropylene demand in North America alone. The majority of that demand is for ‘high-quality’ recycled polypropylene, APR has said.