Polymer Upcycling

Globally, only 10% of the over 400 million tons of plastics produced each year are recycled.

Of this 10%, approximately 2% is upcycled while 8% is downcycled.

Upcycling and Downcycling

Plastic Recycling Bottlenecks

Collection Issue

Collection: The landfill or our environment is the default for 75% of plastics.

Plastic Sorting Issue

Plastic Sorting: Costly, energy-intensive, and inefficient.

Mixed Waste Issue

Mixed Waste: Low quality.

Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP) account for over 40% of the total plastic produced and over 60% of plastic waste.

PE and PP are difficult to separate due to their similar chemical composition and density, complicating standard recycling processes.

If recycled material is not properly separated, its properties become poor and unsuitable for upcycling.

HDPE and PP

Compatibilizers are specialized plastic additives engineered to reduce phase separation and strengthen polymer interfaces, improving the properties of polymer blends.

No Compatibilizer vs. With Compatibilizer

Ultimately, compatibilizers make traditionally incompatible plastics compatible, enhancing the upcycling potential of plastic waste!