Post-recycled resins for diverse applications

Environmental campaigns have long revealed the negative effects of plastic waste in the environment. When plastic litter builds up on land and in the ocean, it poses serious threats to all species on Earth. To help people accept personal responsibility for plastic pollution, the plastics industry has been working tirelessly to educate millions of people about the dangers of irresponsible disposal of plastic waste. It has also spearheaded innovations to encourage the development of new material solutions and processing technologies to achieve a circular economy.

Post-consumer plastic waste recycling is being pushed more and more as a way to achieve a circular economy. "Closing the loop" is achieved by converting plastic waste into a secondary material that can be recycled back into the system for application in new or comparable products and components with varying levels of functionality. Studies on the economic, environmental, and technical aspects of recycling plastic waste have, thus far, focused on a single component or stage of the plastic value chain, leaving the field lacking in coherence and organization. It is also important to review the various facets of closing the plastic loop and critically discuss the multi-stakeholder initiatives of advancing circularity along the plastics value chain. Plastic production and usage are major global issues requiring many approaches and solutions. Although some approaches could provide additional value to plastics recycling, a few problems must be resolved to take full advantage of them.

Setting higher standards to achieve sustainability

Pan Era Group is an Indonesian company with a strong background in plastic recycling and sheer focus on implementing the highest standard in quality and environmental management systems. Pan Era Group's plants are located in Cikande, Banten; Cikarang, West Java; and Kapuk, Jakarta. The roots of the organization dates back in 1987, when it first started as a plastics waste crusher and trader. To date, it has evolved into one of the largest plastics recyclers in Southeast Asia with plans to grow further. 

The production plants collect various post-consumer plastic waste, such as pressed bottles and plastic bags, from collection partners which are spread over many locations within Indonesia. Other waste materials received include pipes, lumps, and films.

PCR resins for various applications

From  the wide variety of plastic waste materials collected, Pan Era has been able to formulate and produce a post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins that are suitable for diverse applications. The company offers two major products: the premium recycled pellet ETERLENE; and the recycled plastic bag LOCO. LOCO is a high-quality plastic bag brand that offers superior performance for several applications; while ETERLENE is its brand of  high-quality recycled polyethylene (rLDPE, rLLDPE, rHDPE) and polypropylene (rPP) resins.

Unlike other plastic bags made from recycled material, LOCO plastic bags are odourless as they have undergone a thorough process. The plastic bags are also not prone to tear as the raw materials are selected from high-quality recycled material. They are also verified by Ekolabel, and are produced in facilities that have been certified with SNI ISO 9001:2015, and ISO 14001:2015.

ETERLENE is produced by modern and sophisticated processes under stringent quality control and managed by an experienced and dedicated team to achieve sustainable solutions. ETERLENE is suitable for the production of packaging and other products. In some applications, 100% recycled composition for ETERLENE can be achieved. ETERLENE sets the standard for responsible plastic recycling being the first recycled plastic resin to achieve Halal certification from Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Produk Halal (BPJPH) of Indonesia. Additionally, the Pan Era production facility boasts of certifications for Global Recycled Standard (GRS), ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management), and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management). These certifications provide independent verification of its commitment to quality, sustainability, and ethical sourcing practices. 

State-of-the-art recycling facility

ETERLENE leverages a robust infrastructure to ensure consistent quality and environmental responsibility. Pan Era’s three manufacturing locations in Indonesia boast a total production capacity exceeding 40,000 MT.  

“Our recycling process consists of a series of phases; each designed to enhance the value and quality of recycled plastic. Pan Era aims to collect and recycle  plastic waste in a sustainable manner to convert them into usable material thus closing the loop,” according to Wilson Pandhika, Managing Director of Pan Era Group.

The process begins by sorting out the plastic waste at the collection centres. The sorted plastic wastes will be transported to Pan Era’s facility where these will be weighed, inspected, classified, and stored in bales in an enclosed and controlled area. Plastic waste will then undergo the washing process and will be transported to the final sorting station to remove any unwanted contaminants. The sorted materials will be shredded, cleaned, and washed again to remove impurities, guaranteeing high quality of the final product. Finally, the plastic will go through the extrusion process where the plastic gets melted, filtered, and pelletized to obtain recycled pellets called ETERLENE. It is in this process that the plastic undergoes deodorization, decontamination, and filtration. “We utilise cutting-edge technology and equipment to transform the cleaned plastic waste into recycled plastic resins that will serve as valuable raw materials for the plastic industry,” adds Mr. Pandhika. 

Expanded applications for ETERLENE

With its quality that is comparable to virgin resin, Pan Era customers can enjoy the ease of switching from virgin material to using recycled material, while also taking part in the circular plastics revolution at the same time. Further, thanks to its in-house compounding capability, it can also tailor-make the resin according to the customer’s requirements, such as adding colourant, anti-UV, anti-oxidant, deodorizing masterbatch, or any other additives.

Over the years, Pan Era has been able to explore various applications using its ETERLENE recycled pellet. Some of the products are wood plastic composites and subduct pipes, which both use up to 50% ETERLENE grades. It has also been able to produce synthetic wood composed of up to 60% ETERLENE. Other significant products are corrugated pipes that contain 75% ETERLENE. Corrugated pipe made from ETERLENE delivers good processability and has no impact on visuals. This can be made single wall or double wall application for sub-surface drainage. It has also enabled customers to offer products that contain up to 100% ETERLENE such as FMCG and lubricant bottles, polybag, and polymailer, which have low odour levels and good mechanical properties.

“With a broad range of applications, ETERLENE can help stakeholders to achieve sustainability. It creates less burden than virgin plastic. Customers can also achieve up to 50% cost savings using ETERLENE, while the properties are similar to products using virgin plastic. Indonesia faces tough challenges when it comes to plastic waste disposal, as well as in the shift from a linear economy towards  a circular economy to which Pan Era is committed to initiating important contributions.

To date, the company has made significant achievements in its objectives. For instance, Pan Era has entered into a strategic partnership with Milliken & Company. The collaboration represents a significant milestone in the industry, as it combines Pan Era’s expertise in the collection and production of recycled polypropylene plastic resin with Milliken's additive technology solutions. Pan Era’s extensive local collection network to collect plastic waste and coupled with Milliken's material science technology to produce recycled polypropylene resin aim to improve the performance of transparent recycled polypropylene resin and increase its market presence.

For more information, visit: https://paneragroup.com