Imerys Performance Additives

ImerPlast is pleased to announce that its IM30 compound has been selected for the world's first 100% post-consumer recycled resin paint pot. 

The pots are moulded by Emballator in Bradford and will be used by Crown for their Crown retail 2.5L and 5L plastic packs and all 10L packs this year with trade plastic packs to follow in 2019. 

This marks a significant step in the evolution of recycled resin. When used for paint pots, typically only around 25% recycled resin has been added to virgin; often this has contained signficiant post-industrial rather than post-consumer content because the impact properties are not good enough when higher levels are used. 

ImerPlast IM30 is a unique polymer alloy consisting of PP and HDPE that are compatibilised using a patented mineral-based compatibiliser. It is designed to achieve an optimum stiffness/toughness balance that suits critical applications such as paint pots. Control of shrinkage and resin colour are also key requirements that played an important role in Crown's decision to use IM30 to improve the sustainability of their packaging. The finished recycled resin pot had to meet all the in-use testing that a virgin resin pot is subjected to. A pot that leaks or cracks in transit or in-store can cause signficant problems, so it was critical that ImerPlast IM30 passed these tests. 

IM30 required no signficant changes to processing; it is also fully muscible with both PP and PE when further recycled. 

ImerPlast is the UK's leading polyolefin recycler for technical applications. The company is a signatory of Operation Clean Sweep® and is the only UK polyolefin recyler with EuCertPlas certification. ImerPlast is commited to improving the quality, performance and use of recycled resins in all types of extruded and injected applications and helping customers achieve their sustainability targets.