Leaders in Advanced Recycling

Since our inception, iSustain has diverted over 1.4 billion pounds of plastics, paper, metal, and food waste from landfills. We have established ourselves as the go-to partner for any business in North America looking to minimize its environmental footprint.

We challenge ourselves to stay ahead of changing regulations and have built collaborations with global leaders to stay at the forefront of advanced recycling. 

This past year alone iSustain moved 11 million pounds of plastic feedstock to advanced recycling facilities in North America. Not only did this benefit the environment in which we live, but it also improved the bottom lines of the businesses from which the waste is gathered as well as those to which it is delivered. 

By working with iSustain, businesses can access the latest technology and expert insight into the waste management landscape. Companies across the continent – from groundbreaking Canadian companies to established American corporations – have been able to optimize their waste management processes and advanced recycling methods to fulfill their commitments to sustainability.

What is advanced recycling?

“Simply put: advanced recycling harnesses the power of science to convert used plastics into new products that can be recycled again and again.” – American Chemistry Council

As technology expands, so does our ability to recycle plastic products. Advanced recycling, also known as chemical, molecular, tertiary, or feedstock recycling, is leading the way in recycling plastic polymers back into virgin-like resins. This enables them to be re-processed and used in thoughtfully created products repeatedly. 

A simplified step-by-step process would look like the following:

1. Hard-to-recycle materials are used in a business’s production cycle.
2. The chemically bound byproducts are provided to iSustain who ships them to one of their advanced recycling partners.
3. Through advanced recycling, the waste is broken down at the molecular level.
4. Certified circular polymers are created and the virgin-like resin can be used to recreate the materials needed for the business’s production cycle.
5. The circular economy continues.

Advanced recycling is a complicated molecular process that iSustain simplifies.

“Advanced recycling—which includes technologies such as pyrolysis, gasification, molecular filtration, solvolysis, and microwave—offers a complementary way to expand the recycling landscape. As a result, it will likely play an increasingly important role in achieving circular-economy targets and commitments and help to expand the amounts, types, and qualities of plastic waste that can be recycled. Although mechanical-recycling rates are high for rigid polyethylene (PE) and rigid PET resin, certain advanced-recycling technologies can accept a range of polymers, including mixed plastics with potentially greater contamination.” – McKinsey & Company

Businesses attempting advanced recycling by themselves can find it difficult. Optimum output quality, quantity, and process efficiency in some advanced recycling technologies are dependent on feedstock consistency. For example, presorting mixed plastic waste is sometimes required before pyrolysis to remove PET and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) byproducts that can cause equipment problems. 

A significant amount of capital and operational costs can also be associated with transporting, storing, and upgrading intermediates. Logistics services such as these are some of the most helpful that we offer at iSustain. While green premiums increasingly offset these costs, the economics still depend on optimizing processes and site location, such as the trade-off between waste proximity and the location of further chemical processing.

There is a rising global call for more sustainable practices, and iSustain is here to answer that call with its partner businesses. Our commitment to sustainable practices allows us to reduce waste while helping our communities diverge from a linear economy towards a cleaner, circular one. 

Advanced recycling can help companies create a circular economy.

Ultimately, advanced recycling provides incredible possibilities for creating a world with fewer waste products by opening up opportunities to recycle items that could never be recycled or reused before. We recognize the importance of creating solutions for various waste streams, and that is why we are proud to offer advanced recycling. No matter your waste stream challenge, iSustain provides you with a solution. 

We encourage businesses to approach us with troublesome byproducts they have no choice but to send to a landfill or incinerator. We aim to help clients recycle more effectively,  minimize environmental impact, and meet minimum-recycled-content mandates. By customizing our services to fit the unique objectives of each organization, we enable our clients to successfully navigate the challenges faced in achieving their sustainability goals. 

iSustain specializes in creating solid programs to ensure lasting social, economic, and environmental benefits for our clients. As strategists, our team of experts works tirelessly to deliver innovative solutions and powerful results with a commitment to excellence that is both tangible and measurable. When it comes to creating comprehensive sustainability programs through the help of advanced recycling, iSustain is the right choice. Let’s get started.