Arkema: Celebrates 30 years of Specialty Polymer recycling and expands its certification

Agiplast, a global leader in the recycling of high-performance thermoplastics since 1994, joined the Arkema Group in 2021. Within Agiplast, Arkema's Virtucycle® customized recycling program has now developed more than 15 certification levels.

Specialty polyamides and PVDFs are reprocessed at Arkema's state-of-the-art Agiplast recycling center in Italy. They use only renewable electricity for mechanical recycling. With its unique expertise in the analysis and regeneration of post-industrial or post-consumer polymers, Arkema is the ideal partner for customers who take an eco-design approach to help them improve their carbon footprint.

Arkema works with upstream and downstream partners from various markets to develop high-performance polymers with a recycled content of at least 30% and is certified by the main certification body, SCS Global Services.

"Incorporating recycled content into products is an excellent way to reduce the overall environmental impact of polymers and reduce the use of raw materials," said Nicole Munoz, vice president of environmental certification services at SCS Global Services. Arkema is constantly expanding its portfolio of polymers with certified recycled content, giving it a strong position in the carbon-conscious market.”

Francois Tanguy, Project Manager for Arkema's recycling operations and Virtucycle®, said: "Arkema is proud of its 30-year tradition of recycling high-performance thermoplastics, as we will work with customers around the world to develop more sustainable solutions using the extensive experience of our Agiplast team. Our customers need advanced materials that have a lower impact on climate change, reduce the consumption of natural resources, and provide uncompromised performance. We have the ability to support them.”

Arkema and its customers around the world are committed to developing unique high-performance levels that meet their requirements. This is an opportunity to be truly circular: some customers want to contribute polymers to the recycling cycle, while others want to source polymers with recycled content.