US' PureCycle & Drake team up for sustainable recycled PP yarns

The agreement comes after Drake's successful production of continuous fiber using a compound that includes PureCycle's PureFive resin. The resin was produced at Ironton, Ohio from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled (PCR) feedstock and then developed into a compound by PureCycle's Research & Development team in Durham, North Carolina.

Drake CEO John Parkinson said, "We've been looking for a partner who can repeatedly deliver a post-consumer recycled polypropylene that can be turned into a sustainable fiber for our customers. We've tested PureCycle's material under various operating conditions and produced multiple types of fiber - their product significantly surpassed our expectations. These fiber packages are now with many of our customers to gauge their interest, but we see this as a strong growth opportunity for our company."

Approximately 20 per cent of the global virgin polypropylene (PP) supply is used for fiber and yarn. Until now, there has not been a reliable recycling alternative to replace virgin PP due to the complexity of the fiber manufacturing process. Polypropylene fiber is preferred for its light weight, durability, moisture and chemical resistance.

PureCycle CEO Dustin Olson said, "This achievement is a testament to our technology, the quality of our product, and the talent of our team. We've worked diligently to create a compound that runs like the virgin material Drake uses for various applications. This is a transformative moment for the industry, and has the ability to change the way fiber producers think about recycled PP."

Olson added, "We needed a partner like Drake to realise this breakthrough. Their industry knowledge and manufacturing capacity is expected to help bring PureCycle's recycled PP solution to a much larger customer-base and improve the circularity of textiles."

Drake and PureCycle worked through multiple trials to produce continuous filaments of varying thicknesses in order to expand the end-use applications. The thicker fiber is ideal for outdoor upholstery, while the thinner material is intended for the apparel market. The fiber was also successfully textured, which softens the material to the touch.

PureCycle's R&D team plans to continue testing various compounds at the Company's lab to increase the amount of recycled content that can be successfully introduced for fiber applications. Work is also being done to create a compound for staple fibers which could open the door to opportunities within the carpet, automotive and other industries.

Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (MS)