Pact Collective and Eastman today announce they have qualified the use of clean, multicolor PET waste from Pact members and consumers as feedstock for Eastman’s methanolysis technology. This process addresses the challenge of multicolored PET received at material recovery facilities (MRF), which in some instances is unlikely to be mechanically recycled due to color variations. Eastman’s methanolysis process enables the upcycling of this material into Eastman Renew materials — high-quality copolyesters and PET for the beauty industry that offer a quality on par with virgin materials.
"Eastman's collaboration with Pact Collective has been a journey of shared vision and commitment. Our combined efforts are ensuring a more sustainable future for the beauty industry,” said Tara Cary, Eastman cosmetics packaging segment manager. “By harnessing our methanolysis technology, we are turning challenges into opportunities and leading the way towards a future where beauty packaging waste is a valuable resource, not a burden."
Pact Collective, a nonprofit organization, spearheads the management of beauty packaging take-back programs at retail and consumer levels. These programs play a vital role in ensuring that packaging waste is managed in an environmentally responsible way.
“Pact works to identify the highest and best use for the material we collect through our collection programs, always starting with mechanical recycling when possible. Eastman’s technology gives Pact’s material that may otherwise be destined for waste-to-energy the opportunity for a better end of life,” said Pact Executive Director Carly Snider. “Eastman may even help us keep this plastic material in circulation, creating more post-consumer recycled content that can be used in future beauty packaging.”
Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies are ideally suited to managing the complex waste collected through these take-back programs. Eastman’s methanolysis breaks down hard-to-recycle PET waste to its essential building blocks (monomers) that Eastman uses to create its high-performance materials.
Eastman and Pact are committed to validating more complex streams of beauty packaging waste for Eastman’s molecular recycling. This ongoing effort aims to reduce the dependency on less sustainable options like waste-to-energy or landfilling, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
