Sumicle®, a polyethylene product for packages and containers that contributes to achieving horizontal recycling

Scheduled implementation time

・Sumitomo Chemical (the Company) has already started providing samples of Sumicle® and is now in the process of communication for commercialization.

・The company aims to commercialize the product early in FY2022.

Description of technology and business model

In order to achieve horizontal recycling of plastic packages and containers, it is desirable to unify the resin material types.

However, plastic packages and containers for food and daily necessities are made by layering different materials such as nylon or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), because, for example, packages and containers made only of polyethylene (PE) are soft and cannot stand on their own.

The Company has developed a PE-based, but highly rigid Sumicle® by using a special compounding technology.

This enables horizontal film-to-film recycling because the resin type of packages and containers can be made of a single resin material when combined with PE sealant.

Achievements and goals

Through the use of Sumicle®, the Company will realize a higher level of plastic resource recycling by unifying resin material types, thereby contributing to the promotion of resource recycling and efficient utilization of limited resources.

URL that introduce this initiative

・News Release from Sumitomo Chemical：

https://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english/news/detail/20220331e.html