Avient and Plastic Bank reuse ocean-bound plastic for luxury caps and closures

Photo Credit: Avient Corp.

Canadian social enterprise Plastic Bank has supplied material that allows Avient Corp. to extend its Gravi-Tech REC recycled formulations portfolio with a grade containing up to 60 per cent ocean-bound plastic waste in addition to recycled fillers, making the total recycled content as high as 98 per cent.

Avient officials said the new grade – called Gravi-Tech REC GT5200-5089 C I natural – offers greater design flexibility and more efficient processing compared to the metals traditionally used in luxury packaging caps and closures, which are typically associated with higher processing and molding costs.

“This high recycled content supports a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) reduction of >70 per cent compared to technically comparable virgin material,” Avient said. “This helps balance impact resistance and density with environmental responsibility and allows for greater design flexibility and efficient processing through standard injection molding methods.”

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Vancouver, Plastic Bank works with local communities in coastal areas in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Egypt, and Cameroon to collect and exchange ocean-bound plastic waste as currency for income and life-improving benefits, including health, work and life insurance, digital connectivity, grocery vouchers, school supplies, fintech services, and more. Exchanges are recorded through the Plastic Bank app, backed by their proprietary blockchain-secured platform that enables traceable collection, secures income and verifies reporting. The collected material is processed into Social Plastic feedstock for reuse in products and packaging by some of the world’s most progressive companies.

Avient says its Gravi-Tech REC formulations enable visual surface effects and aesthetics, including electroplated metallic finish, cool touch, and colour variation. They can be used for applications in luxury packaging and consumer goods such as cosmetic caps and closures, perfume caps, spirit bottle caps, and luxury boxes. “The higher density avoids two-step processes for metal inserts in high-value packaging,” they said.