PureCycle Technologies, Inc. (Orlando, Fla.), a specialist in plastic recycling, has announced a strategic partnership with RM TOHCELLO Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), one of the world’s largest producers of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film, and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), a global trading and investment company that collaborates with PureCycle. The partnership marks a significant breakthrough in sustainable packaging, as BOPP film has historically been one of the most difficult applications to achieve with meaningful recycled content, due to the extremely high purity that is required.
The partnership was initiated in Q1 2023, when RM TOHCELLO began running initial samples of PureFive® resin provided by PureCycle and Mitsui. Those early-stage trials produced promising results, paving the way for pilot-scale production runs that have since been successfully completed. The partners are now preparing to introduce these pioneering BOPP film materials to converters and brand owners in Japan, with the execution of a formal commercial agreement anticipated in 2027 and shipments to Japan following compliance with import regulations.
“This partnership represents exactly the kind of step-change we envisioned when PureCycle’s technology was developed. We’re unlocking an entire segment of applications where recycled content had been locked out,” said Wiebe Schipper, PureCycle VP of European and Asia Pacific Operations. “The fact that we have now successfully completed trials with one of the world’s premier film producers is a powerful validation of what our resin can do. We are energized by what this means for our customers, for brand owners, and for the future of sustainable packaging.”
BOPP film is used extensively across food packaging, labels and consumer goods — applications where optical clarity, consistency and performance are necessary. Mechanically recycled polypropylene has long fallen short of the stringent quality requirements these applications demand, which has kept recycled content from being used in this high-value segment of the packaging market.
“Flexible films are one of the fastest growing segments in packaging and we’ve been waiting for a solution like PureCycle’s to allow us to start using recycled content in BOPP film and PP sealant film,” said Masaru Furukawa, RM TOHCELLO Executive Officer, Head, Business Sector. “We believe these innovative films can help transform post-consumer waste into materials contributing to GHG-emission avoidance. We would like to promote application developments with our value chain partners.”
PureCycle’s proprietary dissolution recycling technology removes additives, colors, odors and other impurities from post-consumer polypropylene waste. PureCycle produces a third-party certified recycled resin that has proven successful in a wide range of applications.