Plastics Recycling Study

RNS Number : 3063G

Symphony Environmental Tech. PLC

05 August 2016

 

	5 August 2016

SYMPHONY ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES PLC

("Symphony", the "Company" or the "Group")

PLASTICS RECYCLING STUDY

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc (AIM:SYM), global specialists in 'making plastic smarter', with d₂w controlled-life, d₂p anti-microbial, flame retardants, and odour adsorbers, and d₂t anti-counterfeiting technologies, today announces the publication of another, but very important, report confirming that d₂w oxo-biodegradable (controlled-life) plastics have no material effect on the recycling process or on the recycled plastic products.

This report, by the Transfercenter fur Kunststofftechnik (TCKT) in Austria, on 27th July 2016, confirms that recyclate from d₂w® oxo-biodegradable plastic can safely be used in the manufacture of thick cross-section plastic products intended for long term use outdoors. Such products would include building films, plastic lumber, garden and municipal furniture, and signage posts.

This is the fourth positive study of its kind, and adds to the two studies by laboratories in South Africa in 2012 and 2013. TCKT had itself reported on 17th March 2016 that recyclate from oxo-biodegradable plastic can safely be used in the manufacture of plastic film products. See http://www.symphonyenvironmental.com/recycling-2/. TCKT are the European industry specialists in application-oriented research and development in plastics engineering.

Michael Laurier, CEO of the Company, said: "this latest study is an important step forward, as it eliminates the concerns of the recycling industry. For several years our sales have been slower than anticipated as decision-makers were concerned with potential contamination of the waste plastic feedstock by oxo-biodegradable plastics.  

These four expert studies finally prove that products made with d₂w are fully compatible with recycling and should be freely used without any further concerns.

As not all the plastic is collectable for recycling, it is important to use d₂w plastics, which will biodegrade if they get into the open environment as litter, and will not lie or float around for decades.  During their useful life they are just as strong as conventional plastics, and can be made by existing plastics factories at little or no extra cost." 

-ENDS-

Contacts

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc
Michael Laurier, CEO	Tel: [phone]
Ian Bristow, FD
Cantor Fitzgerald Europe
David Foreman / Michael Reynolds (Corporate Finance)	Tel: [phone]
David Banks (Sales)

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Symphony Environmental Technologies plc

Symphony has developed a range of additives, concentrates and master-batches marketed as d₂p, which can be incorporated in a wide variety of plastic and non-plastic products and applications so as to give them protection against many different types of bacteria, fungi, algae, mould and insects.

In addition, Symphony has developed controlled-life plastic technology which turns ordinary plastic at the end of its service-life into biodegradable materials. It is then no longer a plastic and can be bioassimilated in the open environment in the same way as a leaf. The technology is branded d₂w® and appears as a droplet logo on many thousands of tonnes of plastic packaging and other plastic products around the world. In some countries oxo-biodegradable plastic is mandatory.  For a video of d₂w® plastic degrading see http://degradable.net/play-videos/4.

Symphony has developed the d₂Detector®, a portable device which analyses plastics and detects counterfeit products.  Symphony's d₂t tagging and tracer technology is also available for further security. See www.d2t.net

Symphony has a diverse and growing customer-base and has established itself as an international business with 74 distributors around the world. Products made with Symphony's plastic technologies are now available in 97countries and in many different product applications. Symphony is certified to ISO9001 and ISO14001.

Symphony is a member of The Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association (www.biodeg.org) (OPA), the Society for the Chemical Industry (UK), and the Pacific Basin Environmental Council. Symphony actively participates in the Committee work of the British Standards Institute (BSI), the American Standards Organisation (ASTM), the European Standards Organisation (CEN), and the International Standards Organisation (ISO).

Further information on the Symphony Group can be found at www.symphonyenvironmental.com.

 

END

 

 

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