Spanish recyclate and compound supplier GCR Group (Tarragona; www.gcrgroup.es) recently opened a dedicated R&D facility in La Bisbal del Penedès, Spain, aimed at finding short and long-term polymer-based solutions with minimised environmental impact. The investment for the 2,000 m² innovation hub is expected to reach EUR 100 mn by 2025, GCR said.

The innovation hub – with equipment for incubation to final production – aims to work towards customised solutions to issues encountered with post-consumer or post-industrial waste, the company said, while also focusing on improving customers’ carbon footprint and help them with life-cycle analyses. “GCR can enhance the value of waste streams through, for example, compatibilisers or capturing/blocking odour-producing bacteria,” the group added.

The customisation capability complements GCR’s Ciclic range of recycled polyolefins and Granic mineral-filled masterbatches, which, the company claims, can offer up to 30% reduction in energy costs in downstream polymer processing. GCR also plans to commission a large-scale plant for recycling polyolefins with a capacity of 200,000 t/y (see Plasteurope.com of 20.10.2022).