PCR breakthrough of Chinese plastic brands: technological revolution and green certification under policy enforcement

  With the mandatory implementation of the "Technical Specifications for the Use of Recycled Plastics in Household Appliances" (T/CHEAA 0034-2024) in January 2025, home appliance companies must achieve a maximum of 20% post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) addition ratio. This policy is driving deep changes in the industrial chain. A modification factory in South China uses molecular-level purification technology and a three-layer melt filtration system to remove 5-micron metal impurities in PCR, increasing the transmittance of recycled polypropylene to 92% and the impact strength to 98% of the original material standard. At the same time, packaging companies in East China introduced AI visual sorting equipment to increase the purity of PET bottle recycling to 99.2% and reduce raw material costs by 30%. The key to technological breakthroughs lies in overcoming the performance bottleneck of recycled materials. The nano-calcium carbonate reinforcement system developed by a leading company successfully increased the bending strength of PCR-ABS materials to 65MPa, replacing imported raw materials for high-end air-conditioning shells. It is worth noting that GRS global recycling standard certification is becoming a market pass - certified companies need to establish a full-link traceability system, and each batch of goods must match the TC transaction certificate, covering 12 types of certification documents such as raw material procurement contracts and transportation documents. A daily necessities company in Ningbo has achieved a 40% increase in export orders with GRS-certified food-grade PCR-PET lunch boxes. The industry reshuffle has accelerated. A Dongguan injection molding factory used uncertified PCR materials, resulting in a product brittle cracking rate of more than 15%, resulting in losses of more than 3 million yuan; while leading companies have used high-performance marine plastic (OBP) technology, combined with molecular chain repair technology to increase the impact strength of recycled PET by 3 times, and cooperate with UL 2809 environmental certification to open up the high-end market. With the GB/T 16288 standard forcing products to be labeled with recycled content, China's plastics industry is shifting from passive compliance to technology-driven value creation.