What is PCR?

PCR stands for post-consumer Recycled material, which is used to recycle Recycled materials such as PET, PE, PP and HDPE and then process them into new packaging materials. Recycling of waste plastics produced by common consumer products such as lunch boxes, shampoo bottles, water bottles, washing machine buckets, etc.

PIR is the full name of post-industrial Recycled material, refers to the materials produced by industry, due to its own production process or process, commonly known as mouth material, waste. It's a lot easier to process than PCR. If there are no special circumstances, immediately crushing can be re-made particles.

According to the amount of recycling, PCR plastic has an absolute advantage in quantity, according to the quality of reprocessing, PIR plastic has an absolute advantage.

So strictly speaking, both PCR and PIR plastics are recycled plastics that the industry has been talking about, but in a more standardized or written language.

Why are we using PCR plastic?

(1) PCR plastic is one of the important directions to reduce plastic pollution and help "carbon neutrality"

　Since the invention of plastic, plastic products have brought great convenience to human living standards, and it has been difficult for human beings to leave plastic products. However, the waste problem brought by plastic products has become one of the development dilemmas of human beings. About 30 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year, of which 14.1 million tons are plastic packaging waste, and only a small portion of plastic waste is properly treated. Source: "Single-use plastics a roadmap for sustainability"), which shows that plastic recycling is still at a relatively low level.

Then PCR plastics are mixed with virgin plastics and reused to make plastic products. This approach not only reduces CO2 emissions, but also reduces energy consumption and helps protect the environment.

(2) Use of PCR plastics to further promote recycling of waste plastics

  The more people who use PCR plastics, the greater the demand will be, which will further enhance the recycling of waste plastics and will gradually change the model and business operation of waste plastics recycling, meaning less waste plastics going to landfills, incineration and existing in the natural environment.

(3) Promotion of Polices

Many countries around the world are now legislating the mandatory use of PCR plastics.

Areas of use of PCR plastics

Different industries are currently promoting the use of related PCR plastics, and each industry has a different path for the use of PCR plastics due to the different requirements of the plastics.

(1) consumer electronics and office equipment

The impact of consumer electronics on the environment has been well known to the public, and industry associations have been promoting sustainability assessments of consumer electronics products, in which the recyclable design of products and the promotion of the use of PCR materials has driven the consumer electronics industry to make some contribution to the plastics cycle. More and more consumer electronics brands have launched plans to use PCR materials, to IT equipment, for example, the IEEE Std 1680.1 standard on computers, monitors and other products PCR plastic use guidance. Office equipment also has IEEE Std 1680.2 standard for printers and other imaging equipment PCR and bio-based plastic use recommendations. Consumer electronics and office equipment and other large equipment plastic selection to PC resin alloys, such as halogen-free flame retardant PC/ABS, PC/ABS + Talc, and ABS. These products have more mature PCR solutions.

　　The main sources of PC recycling are water buckets, headlights, CDs, etc. Take drinking water bucket as an example, the PC used for drinking water bucket is generally blow molding grade PC with excellent impact toughness, and the surface is generally less decorated other than the label. Therefore, PC for drinking water buckets is relatively easy to recycle, and after recycling, PCR's PC still maintains good performance and can meet the requirements of the consumer electronics industry. For PC of CD-ROM origin, its recycling is relatively more difficult, because the structure of CD-ROM is more complex, and in addition to the PC substrate itself, the CD-ROM may also have other impurities such as aluminum plating, labels, and coatings. Therefore, the recovery of disc grade PC requires a more complicated cleaning process. The recovered disc grade PC can be obtained with good color grade PCR PC due to its stable source and transparent color.

　　PCR-ABS materials for consumer electronics are mainly derived from disassembled parts such as home appliances and toys. After the collection and disassembly of used home appliances, their related plastic parts will enter the recycled plastic industry chain. After a series of processing such as manual screening, cleaning, density sorting, electrostatic sorting and color sorting, we can obtain PCR-ABS with high purity, and then after modification, we can obtain PCR ABS products with excellent mechanical properties.

(2) Automotive

  The automotive industry is an important area where plastics should be used, and in recent years BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Volvo, Renault and other automotive OEMs have also put forward targets for the use of PCR materials. For example, Ford has established a number of standards for the use of recycled materials and has used PCR materials in several models; Volvo claims that by 2025, the proportion of Volvo cars using recycled plastics will reach 25%. The reliability of plastic parts for automobiles is very high, so the promotion of the use of PCR plastics for automobiles is more prudent. The amount of plastic used in the whole car is about 168kg, of which the interior and exterior of the car accounts for about 101kg, PP accounts for more than 47% and ABS and PC alloy accounts for 13%.

　　The main source of PCR-PP materials for automobiles is the copolymer PP materials obtained from the dismantling of home appliances, which has more stable impact toughness and can meet the requirements of materials for automotive interior and exterior trim after modification. The recycling path of PCR-PP materials from appliance dismantling is similar to that of PCR-ABS materials from appliance dismantling, and the corresponding PCR-PP products can be obtained after manual screening, cleaning, density sorting and other processing.

(3) Textile industry

　The textile industry is currently one of the most widespread users of PCR plastics, and PET bottle flakes are cleaned and re-spun to obtain PCR polyester and related textiles. An increasing number of apparel brands are now offering clothing products made from related recycled PET.

　　The recycling of PET bottle flakes is currently one of the most stable sources of PCR plastic due to its relatively standard origin and the relatively low contamination of recycled PET bottles during use. In general, the viscosity of bottle grade PET is higher than fiber grade PET, so even if the bottle flake PCR PET is partially degraded during the recycling process, its molecular weight still meets the textile requirements, while if the PCR-PET needs to be reapplied to the bottle flake, further viscosification is required.

(3) Packaging

  Packaging is one of the largest markets for plastic use, and the vast majority of packaging materials have short life cycles, with plastic packaging generating more waste than its own use of plastic. Taking European data as an example, in 2015, the demand for plastics in Europe was 49 million tons, of which 39% was used by the packaging industry, while 59% of plastic waste was plastic packaging waste in terms of the source of plastic waste. There may be a greater social responsibility for plastic recycling in the packaging industry. There are also more and more packaging companies joining in the plastic recycling and starting a program of using PCR materials. However, the packaging industry is relatively extensive, and the requirements of each segment are significantly different. The use of PCR materials in the packaging industry requires the development of more appropriate material paths based on specific products.

　　The use of PCR plastic will add a sense of responsibility for the brand to protect the environment, which will also become a highlight of the brand promotion, coupled with increased consumer awareness of environmental protection, many consumers are also happy to pay for PCR packaging products.