PureCycle Provides Update on BOPP Film Trials

Rhea-AI Summary

PureCycle Technologies (NASDAQ:PCT) has announced successful trials of its PureFive™ resin in biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film production. The trials, conducted by leading film equipment manufacturer Brückner Maschinenbau in Germany, tested blends containing 15% to 50% PureFive™ resin from PureCycle's Ironton, Ohio facility.

The recycled material performed similarly to virgin polypropylene in multiple tests, with initial stretch tests showing promising results. Additional testing is scheduled for later this month. The development is significant for the flexible packaging industry, as BOPP film is widely used in food packaging, labeling, and adhesive tape applications.

CEO Dustin Olson emphasized that flexible packaging represents one of the largest segments for polypropylene, noting that traditionally recycled materials have struggled to meet the high purity demands for film production. PureCycle aims to provide a single-pellet solution that can serve as a drop-in replacement for existing virgin film production.

Positive

• Successful BOPP film trials with leading manufacturer Brückner showing performance comparable to virgin polypropylene
• PureFive™ resin demonstrates capability to meet high purity demands of flexible packaging industry
• Potential market expansion into large flexible packaging segment

Negative

• Additional testing still required to validate full commercial viability
• Uncertain timeline for commercial implementation

Insights

Materials Science Expert

PureCycle's recycled resin showing promising performance in demanding BOPP film applications marks significant technical progress for entering a major polypropylene market.

The trial results from Brückner Maschinenbau represent a meaningful technical milestone for PureCycle's PureFive™ resin. BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) film production has stringent purity requirements that have historically been difficult for recycled materials to meet, as directly stated by CEO Dustin Olson: "there is not a traditionally recycled material that can consistently meet the high purity demands required to make film."

The article confirms tests using 15% to 50% PureFive™ resin blends were successfully extruded at Brückner's German facility, performing "similarly to virgin polypropylene (PP) on multiple tests." This is technically significant because BOPP film manufacturing involves complex stretching processes that typically amplify any inconsistencies in the base material.

While the initial stretch tests appear promising, the article notes that additional stretch testing is scheduled for later this month, indicating the validation process is still ongoing. The involvement of Brückner, described as "a trusted BOPP equipment manufacturer," provides credible third-party validation of the material's performance.

The company's stated goal to provide a "single-pellet solution for BOPP film that can serve as a drop-in replacement for existing virgin film production" indicates they're targeting a formulation that would integrate seamlessly into existing manufacturing processes without requiring special equipment modifications.

BOPP film applications span food packaging for snacks, candy and baked goods, as well as labeling and adhesive tape - all applications requiring optical clarity and performance consistency. The article notes BOPP's popularity stems from its "transparency and moisture/chemical resistance" properties, which PureCycle's resin would need to maintain to be commercially viable.

Circular Economy Analyst

PureCycle's BOPP film trials address a key gap in plastic recycling, targeting high-purity applications previously accessible only to virgin materials.

PureCycle's progress in BOPP film applications represents an attempt to overcome a significant technical barrier in plastic recycling. As CEO Dustin Olson explicitly states, "Flexible packaging is one of the largest segments for polypropylene, and there is not a traditionally recycled material that can consistently meet the high purity demands required to make film."

The successful trials with Brückner Maschinenbau, described as "the world's leading supplier of production lines for manufacturing a wide range of stretched films," provide external validation from a respected industry equipment manufacturer. This third-party involvement reduces technical risk perception for potential customers considering adopting recycled content.

BOPP film represents a substantial application area with diverse end uses in consumer-facing packaging. The article specifies applications in "food packaging for snacks, candy and baked goods" along with "labeling and adhesive tape." These applications have traditionally required virgin materials due to their performance requirements.

The trials demonstrate performance with blends containing 15% to 50% recycled content, showing viability across different incorporation rates. However, it's worth noting these are still trials, with "additional stretch testing scheduled for later this month," indicating commercial adoption would likely follow further validation steps.

PureCycle's stated commitment to providing a "single-pellet solution" that can serve as a "drop-in replacement for existing virgin film production" suggests a strategic focus on making adoption seamless for manufacturers. This approach could reduce implementation barriers by eliminating the need for process modifications or blending operations.

While these trial results represent progress toward commercialization in an important market segment, the article provides no timeline for commercial availability or information about customer commitments for this specific application.

ORLANDO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / April 24, 2025 / PureCycle Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCT), a U.S.-based company revolutionizing plastic recycling, today, announced progress on the use of PureFive™ resin in industrial biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film trials. The latest trials were conducted by Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH, the world's leading supplier of production lines for manufacturing a wide range of stretched films, based in Siegsdorf, Germany.

The positive Brückner trials were conducted with blends ranging from 15% to 50% PureFive™ resin from PureCycle's commercial facility in Ironton, Ohio. The film was successfully extruded at Brückner's German facility and performed similarly to virgin polypropylene (PP) on multiple tests. Initial stretch tests appear promising, with additional stretch testing scheduled for later this month.

PureCycle CEO Dustin Olson said, "Flexible packaging is one of the largest segments for polypropylene, and there is not a traditionally recycled material that can consistently meet the high purity demands required to make film. The early results are encouraging from the trials with Brückner, and it gives me confidence we can meet the stringent processing requirements." Olson added, "Brückner is known as a trusted BOPP equipment manufacturer and resource for BOPP film producers, so it was critical for us to have these trials handled by their experts in Germany. We look forward to additional trials later this month."

BOPP film has a wide range of end-use applications, including food packaging for snacks, candy and baked goods. It is also used for labeling and adhesive tape. BOPP film is popular in these applications due to its features of transparency and moisture/chemical resistance.

Olson continued, "To help expand our portfolio of products, PureCycle is committed to providing a single-pellet solution for BOPP film that can serve as a drop-in replacement for existing virgin film production."

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PureCycle Contact

Christian Bruey
cbruey@purecycle.com

Investor Relations Contact

Eric DeNatale
edenatale@purecycle.com

About PureCycle Technologies

PureCycle Technologies LLC., a subsidiary of PureCycle Technologies, Inc., holds a global license for the only patented dissolution recycling technology, developed by The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), that is designed to transform polypropylene plastic waste (designated as #5 plastic) into a continuously renewable resource. The unique purification process removes color, odor, and other impurities from #5 plastic waste resulting in our PureFive™ resin that can be recycled and reused multiple times, changing our relationship with plastic. www.purecycle.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the continued execution of PureCycle's business plan, the expected timing of commercial sales, and planned future updates. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or PureCycle's future financial or operating performance and may refer to projections and forecasts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by future or conditional words such as "plan," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "outlook," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "continue," "could," "may," "might," "possible," "potential," "predict," "should," "would" and other similar words and expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions), but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

The forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of PureCycle's management and are inherently subject to uncertainties and changes in circumstances and their potential effects and speak only as of the date of this press release. There can be no assurance that future developments will be those that have been anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in each of PureCycle's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, and those discussed and identified in other public filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission by PureCycle and the following: PCT's ability to obtain funding for its operations and future growth and to continue as a going concern; PCT's ability to meet, and to continue to meet, applicable regulatory requirements for the use of PCT's PureFive™ resin in food grade applications (including in the United States, Europe, Asia and other future international locations); PCT's ability to comply on an ongoing basis with the numerous regulatory requirements applicable to the PureFive™ resin and PCT's facilities (including in the United States, Europe, Asia and other future international locations); expectations and changes regarding PCT's strategies and future financial performance, including its future business plans, expansion plans or objectives, prospective performance and opportunities and competitors, revenues, products and services, pricing, operating expenses, market trends, liquidity, cash flows and uses of cash, capital expenditures, and PCT's ability to invest in growth initiatives which could be impacted by significant changes to tariffs on foreign imports into the United States; the ability of PCT's first commercial-scale recycling facility in Lawrence County, Ohio (the "Ironton Facility") to be appropriately certified by Leidos, following certain performance and other tests, and commence full-scale commercial operations in a timely and cost-effective manner or at all; PCT's ability to meet, and to continue to meet, the requirements imposed upon it and its subsidiaries by the funding for its operations, including the funding for the Ironton Facility; PCT's ability to minimize or eliminate the many hazards and operational risks at its manufacturing facilities that can result in potential injury to individuals, disrupt its business (including interruptions or disruptions in operations at its facilities), and subject PCT to liability and increased costs; PCT's ability to complete the necessary funding with respect to, and complete the construction of, (i) its first U.S. multi-line facility, located in Augusta, Georgia, and (ii) its first commercial-scale European plant located in Antwerp, Belgium, in a timely and cost-effective manner; PCT's ability to procure, sort and process polypropylene plastic waste at its planned plastic waste prep facilities; PCT's ability to maintain exclusivity under the Procter & Gamble Company license; the implementation, market acceptance and success of PCT's business model and growth strategy; the success or profitability of PCT's offtake arrangements; the ability to source feedstock with a high polypropylene content at a reasonable cost; PCT's future capital requirements and sources and uses of cash; developments and projections relating to PCT's competitors and industry; the outcome of any legal or regulatory proceedings to which PCT is, or may become, a party including the securities class action and putative class action cases; geopolitical risk and changes in applicable laws or regulations; the possibility that PCT may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors, including interest rates, availability of capital, economic cycles, and other macro-economic impacts; turnover in employees and increases in employee-related costs; changes in the prices and availability of labor (including labor shortages), transportation and materials, including inflation, supply chain conditions and its related impact on energy and raw materials, and PCT's ability to obtain them in a timely and cost-effective manner; any business disruptions due to political or economic instability, pandemics, armed hostilities (including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East); the potential impact of climate change on PCT, including physical and transition risks, higher regulatory and compliance costs, reputational risks, and availability of capital on attractive terms; and operational risk.

PCT undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should any of the assumptions made prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events.

SOURCE: PureCycle Technologies

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

FAQ

What were the results of PureCycle's BOPP film trials with Brückner?

The trials showed PureFive™ resin blends (15-50%) performed similarly to virgin polypropylene, with promising initial stretch test results.

How is PureCycle's PureFive™ resin being tested for BOPP film applications?

The resin is being tested by Brückner Maschinenbau in Germany through extrusion trials and stretch testing, with additional tests scheduled.

What are the main applications for PureCycle's BOPP film technology?

BOPP film is used in food packaging for snacks, candy, and baked goods, as well as labeling and adhesive tape applications.

What percentage of PureFive™ resin was used in the BOPP film trials?

The trials tested blends ranging from 15% to 50% PureFive™ resin from PureCycle's Ironton facility.