TOPAS Advanced Polymers’ Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC) Earns Certification as Recyclable Material in Europe

Published: November 02, 2020

TOPAS Advanced Polymers announced that its TOPAS® cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) products have earned certification as recyclable materials by the European independent testing lab, Institut cyclos-HTP, based in Aachen, Germany.

TOPAS materials are the first cyclic olefin resins in the industry to be deemed recyclable with polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) for film and injection molding uses. TOPAS^® COC has reportedly been certified as a recyclable polyolefin as part of the EU initiative for a circular economy. 

“This designation is a major development for brand owners, manufacturers, and processors who seek recycled packaging solutions to meet today’s sustainability needs,” said Wilfried Hatke, sales and marketing manager, EMEA, TOPAS Advanced Polymers. “COC is a key enabler and opens many opportunities in shrink labels for decoration and other applications such as polyolefin-based high-barrier films and recyclable pouches.” 

The findings by Institut cyclos-HTP reportedly conclude that COC can be considered as valuable material in post-consumer LDPE, mixed polyolefin, and polypropylene recycling streams. Consequently, PE and PP formulations modified with COC can be considered fully recyclable in their respective waste streams. 

Moreover, in view of the fact that current multilayer packaging usually contains polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), or other polymers required for a functional package, COC with its intrinsic stiffness and barrier properties could help to develop attractive, functional, and fully recyclable polyolefin solutions. 

For more information, visit https://topas.com.