Nampak to increase rHDPE content

Nampak Plastics’ plans to incorporate up to 50 percent of recycled HDPE content in its plastic milk bottles were bolstered by the results of a study it had commissioned with the University of Bradford. The study, which was conducted by the university’s Centre for Advanced Materials Engineering, found that the UK-based packaging firm's goal of 50-percent recycled HDPE by 2020 is feasible. It also found that the recycled material had similar properties to virgin material. Currently Nampak uses 10 percent of the recycled material in its milk bottles.

The company now plans to conduct blow-molding trials of its container products and has already inked supplier deals with Closed Loop Recycling, Greenstar and AWS Ecoplastics. The test-containers will be made from upwards of 30 percent recycled HDPE.