NIR Sortable Black PE Closure

Hello, my name is Jil Carmichael, and I am Global Product Manager for Penn Color. One of the questions I hear quite often is whether it is possible to make black closures recyclable. On the one hand, producers of closures, including black closures, want their production to align with their sustainability goals. On the other hand, they have been told by recyclers that black colorants hinder the sortation of packages and closures: traditional black closures cannot be detected by optical sorters, and they are typically rejected from the sorting lines.

A few months ago, a significant injection molding customer on the East Coast reached out to me: he had been approached by a global brand owner in the food and beverage industry, who wanted a quote for a large order of black closures, that had to be fully sortable and recyclable. Lacking a suitable option in their portfolio, our customer expected us to use our problem-solving approach to help him.

We collaborated closely with them, understanding their needs and the specific polymer types involved. Our recommendation of 62B19935 NIR Sortable PE Black for their Polyethylene and Polypropylene caps and closures has transformed our customers' business. This product, certified by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in the US and Recyclass in Europe, offers a fully sortable and recyclable solution. As a result, our customer now provides a jet-black closure that not only meets their client's demands but also enhances their business's sustainability profile, a testament to our innovative solutions.