PureCycle Technologies, a U.S.-based polypropylene (PP) recycling company, announced that its proprietary recycled PP resin has delivered promising results in recent industrial trials for biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film applications. The trials, which were conducted at Brückner Maschinenbau’s facilities in Siegsdorf, Germany, tested blends containing between 15% and 50% of PureCycle’s PureFive resin.

The trials mark a significant step forward for PureCycle, which utilizes a solvent-based purification technology originally developed by Procter & Gamble. This process enables the company to convert post-consumer PP waste into high-purity resin with performance characteristics comparable to virgin plastic. PureCycle licenses this technology and markets the resulting resin under the PureFive brand name.

According to a company statement, Brückner successfully extruded the PureFive-infused resin on its standard BOPP film machinery. The resulting film showed similar performance to virgin PP in several key assessments, including early-stage stretch tests. More extensive stretch testing is planned for later this month to further evaluate durability and processing consistency.

“Flexible packaging remains one of the largest end-use markets for polypropylene,” said Dustin Olson, CEO of PureCycle. “However, traditional mechanical recycling methods have struggled to produce material that meets the stringent purity and performance requirements for BOPP film. These encouraging results from the Brückner trials give us confidence that PureFive can close that gap.”

Olson emphasized the importance of collaborating with Brückner Maschinenbau, a leading global supplier of BOPP film equipment, noting that their expertise and credibility were instrumental in validating the performance of PureFive resin in high-stakes applications. “Brückner is a trusted name in BOPP film production, so partnering with them for these trials was critical,” he said. “We’re eager to continue testing later this month.”

The trials come as the European Union moves forward with ambitious targets under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). The EU aims to mandate 10% recycled content in non-PET food-contact packaging by 2030 and increase that target to 25% by 2050. These regulations are expected to significantly boost demand for recycled polypropylene, especially in flexible film formats used for snacks, candy, and bakery packaging—applications where BOPP’s transparency, chemical resistance, and moisture barrier properties are highly valued.

PureCycle’s Ironton, Ohio, facility, which cost approximately $361 million, is designed to produce up to 107 million pounds of recycled PP annually at full capacity. The plant produced its first batch of resin in June 2023 and began ramping up commercial output in July 2024.

Although PureFive currently comes at a cost premium compared with both virgin and other recycled PP options, Olson expressed optimism about market momentum. He cited growing interest from commercial partners, including contracts to supply resin for items such as event cups and filament yarns, as well as over two dozen ongoing material trials.

In addition to its flagship Ironton plant, PureCycle has been working since 2021 to establish a second U.S. facility in Augusta, Georgia, and is also pursuing international expansion with a proposed site in Antwerp, Belgium.