Omar Khalid
Plastic recycling is an essential process that helps reduce plastic pollution, conserve energy, and minimize the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills or oceans. Several companies are dedicated to recycling plastic and creating innovative and sustainable products. These companies are making a significant impact in reducing plastic waste and finding new ways to utilize this material. From using recycled plastic in clothing and accessories to creating eco-friendly building materials and even revolutionizing the recycling process itself, these organizations are leading the way towards a more sustainable future.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Companies | Veolia, SUEZ SA, Ultra Poly Corporation, 7Custom Polymers, Patagonia, West Paw, Recover, Suga, Green Toys, Bureo, AMP Robotics, BlueAlp, Empower, TerraCycle, PureCycle |
| Services | Waste management, energy services, water management, wastewater treatment, plastic recycling, plastic waste management, robotic systems for sorting recyclable material, chemical-based conversion upcycling, digital platform for plastic waste management, recycling hard-to-recycle materials, custom supply chains for unique recycled materials, patented recycling process to separate color, odor, and impurities from plastic waste |
| Products | Recycled plastics for packaging, recycled plastic items like toothbrushes, jackets, rugs, accessories, toys, clothing, sunglasses, skateboards, yoga mats, pet beds, blankets |
| Plastic Types | Polyethylene, PET, polypropylene, ABS, PVC resins, HDPE, PC, LDPE, Polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, color concentrates, Polypropylene |
| Impact | Reducing plastic waste in rivers, oceans, landfills, reducing consumption of petroleum, conserving energy, minimizing plastic waste, reducing carbon footprint of packaging |
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What You'll Learn
Top recycled plastic companies
The recycled plastics market is projected to grow from USD 50.78 billion in 2023 to USD 88.96 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period. Here are some of the top recycled plastic companies in the world:
Veolia
Headquartered in France, Veolia operates in waste management, energy services, and water management. The company functions with 823 waste processing facilities, operates 2,716 industrial sites, and manages 4,130 drinking water production plants. It recycles various types of resins such as expanded polypropylene and expanded polyethylene. In 2021, Veolia partnered with L'Oreal to decrease the carbon footprint of cosmetic packaging in a circular economy approach.
SUEZ SA
SUEZ SA is a French company established in 2008 that specializes in water treatment and waste management. The company is functional on five continents and has two waste and water management specialties. SUEZ SA produces 150,000 tonnes of circular polymers annually and processes nearly 400,000 tonnes of plastic waste in nine specialist facilities globally. The company's crucial market is the recycling of plastic, particularly Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE).
Ultra Poly Corporation
Ultra Poly Corporation is a plastics recycling company that provides various custom polyethylene, PET, polypropylene, ABS, and other specialized plastic resins. The company has five manufacturing facilities and 13 extrusion lines and can produce 300 million pounds of recycled plastics yearly. Ultra-Poly Corporation has partnered with SEKISUI Polymer Innovations to recycle thermoplastic scrap for lower-quality applications.
7Custom Polymers
Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Georgia, US, 7Custom Polymers is a global company that reprocesses and recycles post-industrial and post-consumer plastic waste. The company processes, buys, and sells recycled plastics, including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, nylon, polystyrene, and polycarbonate. 7Custom Polymers offers recycled plastics in several forms and has a presence in over 50 countries worldwide.
Patagonia
Patagonia has been recycling polyester since the 1990s, using plastic soda bottles to create the materials for their jackets and other clothing lines. Today, 84% of their fabrics are made from recycled plastic.
Green Toys
Green Toys creates imaginative children's toys using recycled milk jugs. The company has recycled over 113,312,538 milk jugs to date, saving enough energy to power a television for three weeks or a laptop for a month for every pound of milk jugs recycled.
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Companies creating recycled plastic products
The market for recycled plastics is projected to grow from USD 50.78 billion in 2023 to USD 88.96 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period. This growth is driven by companies creating innovative products from recycled plastics, tapping into an abundant resource, and finding ways to turn something harmful into something useful. Here are some notable examples of companies creating recycled plastic products:
Patagonia
Patagonia has been recycling polyester since the 1990s, using plastic soda bottles to create the materials for their jackets and clothing lines. As of 2023, 84% of their fabrics are made from recycled plastic.
Fab Habitat
Fab Habitat creates eco-friendly rugs and accessories from recycled PET and polypropylene plastics. They blend these recycled plastics with materials like cotton or jute to create a soft yarn perfect for durable carpet creation. The company claims to have rescued and recycled millions of plastic bottles from landfills.
Green Toys
Green Toys creates imaginative children's toys made from 100% recycled milk jugs. They have recycled over 113,312,538 milk jugs to date, saving energy and reducing plastic waste.
Bureo
Bureo focuses on cleaning up the oceans by collecting discarded plastic fishing nets and turning them into new products. Their recycled plastic materials are used to create clothing, sunglasses, and skateboards. They also partner with other brands to produce recycled goods, such as Jenga, Patagonia, and Carver.
West Paw
West Paw is a company that creates sustainable and ethical products for pets. Their signature material, IntelliLoft®, is made from recycled plastic bottles and used in pet beds, blankets, and clothing. They also have a plastic recycling program using another material called Zogoflex®.
Preserve
Preserve creates a range of recycled plastic items, most notably their toothbrushes made from 100% recycled plastic. They run a program that encourages consumers to collect five toothbrushes in a plastic bottle and send them in for a coupon, promoting a closed-loop recycling system.
Other Notable Companies
- Rothy's: A footwear company based in San Francisco that crafts stylish shoes with recycled PET plastic yarn and carbon-free soles.
- Hamilton Perkins Collection: They create bags made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, featuring interior lining made from vinyl billboards.
- Nike: Nike has used yarn from recycled plastic bottles to create soccer kits for national teams, estimating the use of over 3 billion plastic bottles.
- Pilot: The pen company has a Bottle 2 Pen program, where they create pens from recycled plastic bottles, with gel rollers containing 89% recycled material and ballpoints with 83%.
- Freeride: This company specializes in skateboards with decks made from 100% recycled plastic.
- Origin Materials: A chemical manufacturer that creates raw chemicals from cardboard, wood waste, and agricultural residues to fuel the production of more sustainable goods.
- BlueOak Resources: BlueOak provides a solution for e-waste recycling, converting e-waste into a sustainable source of metals and rare earth materials for future technologies.
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Plastic recycling plants in the US
There are 244 plastic recycling plants based in the United States. However, according to a report by the nonprofit group Beyond Plastics, only about 5% of plastic in the U.S. is actually recycled, compared to 67% of paper. This is because recycling plastic is not economically efficient, and the product degrades when reprocessed and reused.
One proposed solution to the problem of plastic waste is "chemical recycling" or "advanced recycling". This process uses chemicals or heat to break down plastics into industrial chemicals like benzene and toluene, which can be sold for other industrial purposes or burned to generate power. However, this process rarely produces plastic, and when it does, the product is a lower grade than new plastic made from oil and gas. Additionally, chemical recycling produces toxic chemicals, air pollution, and solid waste that must be landfilled.
A notable example of a company that uses chemical recycling is Encina, an eight-year-old corporation that runs a small demonstration facility in San Antonio, Texas. Encina had plans to build a $1.1 billion plant in Pennsylvania, which would have been the largest petrochemical plant in the U.S. dedicated to breaking down plastic waste into chemicals. However, these plans were cancelled after the town council in Pennsylvania voted unanimously to oppose the proposed plant.
Another company that specializes in plastic recycling is TerraCycle. This company operates in over 20 countries and recycles billions of pieces of trash through its various platforms annually. TerraCycle develops custom supply chains to collect and process unique recycled materials, such as beach plastic and festival waste, for integration into brand primary packaging. They also offer a reuse platform called Loop, which enables their partners to redesign disposable packaging into durable, reusable alternatives.
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Plastic recycling organisations and companies
Plastic recycling is a critical aspect of waste management, helping to reduce the detrimental impact of plastic waste on ecosystems. The process involves the collection, sorting, cleaning, and processing of plastic waste to produce recycled plastic resin, which can be used in manufacturing various products.
The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) is a prominent organisation in this field, providing design guidance, recycled content certification, policy education, and advocacy. They have set the global standard for designing packaging that aligns with the recycling system and have over 300 companies committed to powering the circular economy.
Several companies are dedicated to recycling plastic and creating innovative products. For instance, Ultra Poly Corporation provides custom polyethylene, PET, polypropylene, and other specialised plastic resins, with the capacity to produce 300 million pounds of recycled plastic annually. 7Custom Polymers, founded in 1996 and headquartered in the US, reprocesses and recycles post-industrial and post-consumer plastic waste, operating in over 50 countries.
Other companies are creating consumer products with recycled plastic. For example, Patagonia has been recycling polyester since the 1990s, using plastic soda bottles to create clothing, with 84% of their fabrics now made from recycled plastic. Bureo turns discarded plastic fishing nets into clothing, sunglasses, and skateboards, with a mission to clean up the oceans. Preserve makes toothbrushes from 100% recycled plastic and runs a program encouraging consumers to collect and return used toothbrushes. Suga collects old wetsuits and recycles them into yoga mats, and Green Toys manufactures imaginative children's toys from recycled milk jugs.
These companies and organisations are leading the way in plastic recycling, reducing waste, and creating sustainable alternatives to combat the environmental challenges posed by plastic pollution.
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Companies creating robotic systems for recycling
Several companies are dedicated to recycling plastic waste and creating products from recycled plastic. For instance, Ultra Poly Corporation, 7Custom Polymers, Patagonia, and Bureo.
However, the process of recycling plastic can be made more efficient with the help of robotics. CleanRobotics, for example, is a company that uses AI and robotics to create intelligent waste management systems. Their TrashBot can sort waste, generate waste audits, trigger fullness alerts, and provide educational content via a large display.
Another company, Waste Robotics, has developed AI-powered robots that can identify and sort various materials, achieving high-quality sorting. EverestLabs also offers AI-powered recycling robots that can improve material recovery rates and reduce labour costs. Their RecycleOS system can also address plant issues and enable further automation.
Robotics and AI can play a significant role in improving the accuracy and efficiency of waste sorting, reducing labour costs, and increasing the recovery of valuable recyclables. These technologies can contribute to a more sustainable future by enhancing the recycling process and reducing the environmental impact of waste management.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several companies that recycle plastic, including:
- Ultra Poly Corporation
- 7Custom Polymers
- PureCycle
- BlueAlp
- AMP Robotics
- Empower
- TerraCycle
Some companies that use recycled plastic in their products are:
- Patagonia
- Fab Habitat
- West Paw
- Preserve
- Bureo
- Green Toys
- Suga
- Method
Recycled plastic is used in a variety of products, including clothing, toys, rugs, accessories, toothbrushes, and more.
Many different types of plastic can be recycled, including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyvinyl chloride.
Recycling plastic helps to reduce pollution, conserve energy, and minimize the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or oceans. It also reduces the consumption of petroleum and the demand for virgin plastics.
