ImerPlast has announced that its IM30 compound has been selected for the world's first 100 per cent post-consumer recycled resin paint pot.
Moulded by Emballator in Bradford, the pots will be used by Crown for their Crown retail 2.5l and 5L plastic packs and all 10L packs this year. Trade plastic packs will follow in 2019.
ImerPlast says this marks a significant step in the evolution of recycled resin, as typically only around 25 per cent recycled resin has been added to virgin for paint pots.
Often this has contained significant post-industrial rather than post-consumer content because the impact properties are not good enough when higher levels are used.
ImerPlast IM30 is a polymer alloy consisting of PP and HDPE that are compatibilised using a patented mineral-based compatibiliser.
It is designed to achieve optimum durability that suits critical applications such as paint pots.
Crown says control of shrinkage and resin colour were key requirements that played an important role in its decision to use IM30 to improve the sustainability of its packaging.
A pot that leaks or cracks in transit or in-store can cause significant problems, so it was critical that ImerPlast IM30 passed these tests.
IM30 required no significant changes to processing and it is also fully miscible with both PP and PE when further recycled.