CAPABILITY | POLYMER SCIENCE & MATERIALS CHEMISTRY

Designing Plastic Products for Sustainability & Recyclability

Production of white polypropylene flat yarn for the production of industrial bags. Allison-circular loom woven bag machine. Production of polypropylene sleeves.

ENGINEERING POLYMER-BASED PRODUCTS FOR RECYCLABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

With expertise in chemical engineering, plastics and other synthetic polymers, consumer products, and related regulatory issues, our global consulting staff helps clients design sustainability into their whole product lifecycle, creating a circular economy from material selection, formulation, manufacturing, and packaging to end-of-life and reintegration as post-consumer waste to create new products.

How can you ensure the recyclability and sustainability of plastic products and components without sacrificing quality?

Using plastic waste to build new and more sustainable plastic products reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and raw materials. By building sustainability into the design phase and throughout the product lifecycle, manufacturers, formulators, and other stakeholders can ensure that their products' end-of-life marks a new beginning, when their product is reused, recycled, reconstituted, degraded, or composted.

But building a circular plastics economy can mean confronting multiple regulatory, compliance, and performance issues. Exponent closely monitors the continually changing regulatory landscape for plastics to help stakeholders balance quality, functionality, versatility, and marketability with the sustainability and environmental impacts of their products.

From single-use plastic packaging to highly durable materials to structural adhesives, we help clients meet their quality and sustainability metrics by evaluating polymer formulations for short-term and long-term performance. We also offer expert product support for issues from biodegradability to consumer education and labeling.

CAPABILITIES

We consult on material selection, sourcing, formulation, quality testing, and manufacturing for polymers and plastics through all stages of the product lifecycle to develop sustainability strategies.

Our Capabilities Are Unparalleled

With expertise in over 90 disciplines and hundreds of capabilities, tools, and methodologies — we get to the root of even the most complex challenges and give you the objective answers you need.