Consumer products present challenges to recyclers because they are (rightly) required to be made of materials that are safe to use by anyone in almost any way, even those that the item was not intended for. Not all recycled materials are suitable for consumer products and historically several areas of the world prohibited the use of recycled fishing gear in any product, not just those destined for the high street.
So when we make a recycled material available for use in consumer products we have to be sure that its safe, and that it is suitable for the application proposed.
How does that impact us and the companies that come to us ?
We can’t supply materials for toys, medical devices that involve implantation or contact with bodily fluids, and we can’t supply materials for food preparation or direct food contact. This is not because our materials are potentially harmful but because we can’t afford the on-going costs of certification or liability cover for these regulated sectors.
Now, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some areas where we might still engage beause they have potential to have global impact. For example we’ve carried out several R&D programs with the cosmetics giant L’Óreal, whose commitment to increasing the proportion of recycled materials used in their product packaging and in their processes is a matter of record and through them explored our material’s potential with Prada, who have their own commitment to recycled nylon.
We can test our materials to prove safety, and we do, but the next step up – to what is called ‘super-cleaning’ where recycled plastics are assumed to be as safe as newly made plastics, doesn’t fit our current scale of operation. As a result we do have to turn down some enquiries, even some of those from global brands.
In time and as we grow that might change but for now we have to be mindful about which consumer products are made from our nylon.
For industrial componentry we don’t have the same issues.