ALTUGLAS™ R-Life, Trinseo’s first acrylic solution produced from recycled raw materials
As consumers become more conscious about responsible production, it is essential for manufacturers to innovate and develop more eco-friendly solutions that drive us toward some sustainable solutions without compromising aesthetics or performance. To support cosmetics industry goals, Trinseo has signed a partnership with DIAM, a leading supplier of Point of Sale (POS) displays and solutions, to use ALTUGLAS™ R-Life resins for its application.
The Challenge
DIAM, on behalf of an increasing number of upscale Beauty brands, was looking to use sustainable materials - especially with low carbon and water impacts - for customer applications, including for their POS displays.
It is not a target to achieve a zero plastic goal due to both the outstanding properties of certain plastics and the significant possibilities to improve the related footprint. Converting plastic waste into high quality raw material, as part of a circular economy, might just be a solution to help preserve our planet. And Trinseo, as a leading supplier of acrylics, is involved in MMATwo, a four-year European research project which is aiming to unlock PMMA circularity.
In the meantime, to better meet the demands of major cosmetic brands, DIAM has shown interest in recycled acrylics. The challenge was to find recycled resins for injection molding with the same properties as a virgin PMMA, offering both mechanical performance and aesthetics in end products.
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Building a Positive Retail Driving industry change with our brand partners to reach our 2030 targets (notably -46% CO2 emissions, aligned with our Science Based Targets commitment) “To reduce our raw material emissions, we work with our clients on systematic eco design, will use 80% of recycled plastic by 2030, and also build a circular economy, step by step, with all partners.” Brice PAIN |
The Solution
Trinseo recommended ALTUGLAS R-Life Acrylic Resins with a high recycled monomer content, coming from a highly innovative depolymerization/purification process and the exact same outstanding properties as a virgin PMMA.
In July 2019, DIAM and Trinseo signed a two-year Joint Development Agreement to collaborate on a project to manufacture POS displays from recycled PMMA. Their partnership was a success, resulting in the first industrial production, both for Trinseo and DIAM in 2022 - the PMMA ALTUGLAS™ R-Life VMR PMMA was launched!
The Results
Thanks to the ALTUGLAS™ R-Life PMMA resins developed by Trinseo, DIAM now offers its customers high quality POS displays based on recycled PMMA. The naked eye would have a hard time distinguishing them from the same product manufactured with virgin PMMA! Whether the display is glossy black, colored or fully transparent, it meets the high quality standards of the upscale products it promotes!
The Benefits