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Silvergate introduces colour matching service for polymer recyclates
STRATEGIES
Silvergate introduces colour matching service for polymer recyclates
B
ritish independent masterbatch manufacturer Silvergate Plastics has launched a consistent batch-to-batch colour match service for customers using recycled raw materials. The new service aims to address the issue of variable base colour between batches of feedstock derived from recycled, ground post-consumer polymer waste as brands and manufacturers operating across all sectors actively seek sustainable alternatives to virgin polymers. Silvergate’s development comes as the UK Government proposes measures that would require manufacturers of plastic packaging to incorporate at least 30% recycled content into their formulations in an effort to overhaul the country’s waste management strategy. Subject to consultation, the proposal to impose a tax on plastic packaging that does not meet the ≥30% recycled content requirement will come into force in 2022. In anticipation of these changes, more UK manufacturers are starting to include recycled post-consumer polymer waste into their feedstocks either by re-grinding internal waste or purchasing recycled raw materials from suppliers. The inherent nature of recycling means that the base colour of this feedstock can vary from batch to batch, Silvergate explains. This colour variation in the base polymer will in turn impact the performance of colorants should the same dye formulation be used repeatedly, the company says. To assist the efforts of manufacturers seeking to implement greener solutions, Silvergate has therefore launched its ‘highly responsive’ colour matching service, which ‘overcomes any variation’ in the base colour of recycled feedstock, the company claims. In addition to producing bespoke masterbatches that achieve accurate colour matches in all grades of recyclates, Silvergate is able to incorporate additives that combat heat degradation and processing inconsistencies, it reports. The colour of recyclates can vary significantly and many processors believe the misconception that recycled plastics are limited by colour when compared to virgin polymers, according to Paul Kitson, business development manager for Silvergate Plastics. ‘At Silvergate,
October 2019
thanks to our strict colour management policies and processes, we are not only able to achieve the desired colour from the outset but we will also always adjust the formulation so any variants in feedstock colour will be accommodated within our colour management strategy’, Kitson says, commenting on the success of recent colour matching trials. More information: www.silvergate.co.uk
COMPANY STRATEGIES ...Continued from front page ‘to develop ground-breaking innovative solutions for the marketplace’, according to DIC. Commenting for BASF, Dr Markus Kamieth, member of the board of executive directors responsible for the Industrial Solutions segment, says that the divestiture to DIC has ‘achieved our goal to find an owner who considers pigments a core strategic business’. The Japanese company is pursuing ambitious growth plans and has announced its intention to further develop the pigments business in the coming years. BASF is therefore convinced that the pigments business ‘will be able to unfold its full potential within DIC’, Kamieth says. ‘We see DIC as an owner who is willing to invest, committed to innovations and interested in the longer-term success of the business’, adds Dr Alexander Haunschild, managing director of BASF Colors & Effects. In the immediate future, business for customers will continue unchanged. A transition team will be put in place to ensure a smooth switch for both customers and employees by the expected closing date in the fourth quarter of 2020. Headquartered in Tokyo, DIC was founded in 1908 and is today one of Japan’s most diversified chemical companies with about 20 000 employees globally. It is active in more than 60 countries and has approximately 180 subsidiaries, including Sun Chemical Corp of Parsippany, NJ, USA. The company has three operating segments: Packaging & Graphics; Functional Products; and Color & Display, which houses its pigments portfolio. More information: www.basf.com More information: www.dic-global.com/en More information: www.sunchemical.com
Additives for Polymers
5
Silvergate introduces colour matching service for polymer recyclates
B
ritish independent masterbatch manufacturer Silvergate Plastics has launched a consistent batch-to-batch colour match service for customers using recycled raw materials. The new service aims to address the issue of variable base colour between batches of feedstock derived from recycled, ground post-consumer polymer waste as brands and manufacturers operating across all sectors actively seek sustainable alternatives to virgin polymers. Silvergate’s development comes as the UK Government proposes measures that would require manufacturers of plastic packaging to incorporate at least 30% recycled content into their formulations in an effort to overhaul the country’s waste management strategy. Subject to consultation, the proposal to impose a tax on plastic packaging that does not meet the ≥30% recycled content requirement will come into force in 2022. In anticipation of these changes, more UK manufacturers are starting to include recycled post-consumer polymer waste into their feedstocks either by re-grinding internal waste or purchasing recycled raw materials from suppliers. The inherent nature of recycling means that the base colour of this feedstock can vary from batch to batch, Silvergate explains. This colour variation in the base polymer will in turn impact the performance of colorants should the same dye formulation be used repeatedly, the company says. To assist the efforts of manufacturers seeking to implement greener solutions, Silvergate has therefore launched its ‘highly responsive’ colour matching service, which ‘overcomes any variation’ in the base colour of recycled feedstock, the company claims. In addition to producing bespoke masterbatches that achieve accurate colour matches in all grades of recyclates, Silvergate is able to incorporate additives that combat heat degradation and processing inconsistencies, it reports. The colour of recyclates can vary significantly and many processors believe the misconception that recycled plastics are limited by colour when compared to virgin polymers, according to Paul Kitson, business development manager for Silvergate Plastics. ‘At Silvergate,
October 2019
thanks to our strict colour management policies and processes, we are not only able to achieve the desired colour from the outset but we will also always adjust the formulation so any variants in feedstock colour will be accommodated within our colour management strategy’, Kitson says, commenting on the success of recent colour matching trials. More information: www.silvergate.co.uk
COMPANY STRATEGIES ...Continued from front page ‘to develop ground-breaking innovative solutions for the marketplace’, according to DIC. Commenting for BASF, Dr Markus Kamieth, member of the board of executive directors responsible for the Industrial Solutions segment, says that the divestiture to DIC has ‘achieved our goal to find an owner who considers pigments a core strategic business’. The Japanese company is pursuing ambitious growth plans and has announced its intention to further develop the pigments business in the coming years. BASF is therefore convinced that the pigments business ‘will be able to unfold its full potential within DIC’, Kamieth says. ‘We see DIC as an owner who is willing to invest, committed to innovations and interested in the longer-term success of the business’, adds Dr Alexander Haunschild, managing director of BASF Colors & Effects. In the immediate future, business for customers will continue unchanged. A transition team will be put in place to ensure a smooth switch for both customers and employees by the expected closing date in the fourth quarter of 2020. Headquartered in Tokyo, DIC was founded in 1908 and is today one of Japan’s most diversified chemical companies with about 20 000 employees globally. It is active in more than 60 countries and has approximately 180 subsidiaries, including Sun Chemical Corp of Parsippany, NJ, USA. The company has three operating segments: Packaging & Graphics; Functional Products; and Color & Display, which houses its pigments portfolio. More information: www.basf.com More information: www.dic-global.com/en More information: www.sunchemical.com
Additives for Polymers
5