Energy saving benefits of Millad® NX™ 8000 validated with UL approved label

Ghent, Belgium - The energy-saving benefits of Milliken's new generation clarifier Millad® NX™ 8000 for polypropylene (PP) have been validated by the independent organisation UL Environment, a business unit of UL (Underwriters Laboratories). The validation qualifies Milliken and eventually its customers, from converters to brand owners, to use an Environmental Claim Validation (ECV) label to highlight the energy consumption reductions achieved with the use of Millad NX 8000 in a transparent PP product.

Millad NX 8000 delivers positive environmental- and performance-related benefits to PP. Its step-change to the performance and haze of PP supports the development of high clarity, high quality plastic packaging solutions for the food and household sectors. Importantly, use of the additive also allows conversion temperatures to be lowered, particularly in injection molding. This leads to less energy use and accompanying CO₂ emission reductions. Numerous industrial test data indicates that use of Millad NX 8000 can lower required processing temperatures from 235°C to 190°C, resulting in energy savings between 8 and 12% and associated CO₂ emissions reductions.

Several different ECV labels displaying the energy savings facilitated by Millad NX 8000 are available. For example, the product Millad NX 8000 will itself carry the claim: “Millad® NX™ 8000 enables an average of 10% energy savings for production of clarified PP parts.” The product claim for the whole product or factory line is: “Plastic part manufactured using 8 to 12% less energy due to clarifier technology.”

The new ECV labels will enable companies to visibly demonstrate their positive contribution to the environment on product packaging and marketing materials, giving third-party credibility to their sustainability claims and creating a powerful differentiating tool. Permission is dependent on an evaluation and audit of the calculated processing savings with Millad NX 8000 by UL Environment.

Daan Vanwynsberghe, Global Technical Manager Plastic Additives, Milliken, comments: “The UL Environmental Claim Validation provides the assurance of independent confirmation of environmental credentials by a third party in markets deluged by unsubstantiated eco-claims. Milliken is committed to developing innovations that support more sustainable processing and a reduction in environmental impact for the plastics industry. We are therefore proud to have UL Environment verify the positive energy savings of Millad NX 8000. The label will really help the end consumer to see the valuable contribution our clarifier can make to the environment.”

“Milliken’s energy savings achievement and subsequent UL validation will help provide valuable differentiation in the plastics industry. Converters and brands now have the unique opportunity to leverage this effort, making it easier for consumers to find and buy plastic containers with reduced environmental impact,” says Sara Greenstein, president of UL Environment. “UL Environment is proud to be part of this process: bringing clarity to environmental claims in the marketplace.”

For inquiries on how to obtain an ECV label displaying the energy savings facilitated by Millad NX 8000, contact UL Environment: environment@ul.com.