— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

UK masterbatch producer Broadway (Halesworth; www.broadwaycolours.com) has introduced carbon-black-free black and silver masterbatches designed to improve the visibility of plastics in near-infrared (NIR) sorting systems.

The formulations are aimed at helping producers meet sustainability targets and reduce extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees, while preserving what the company describes as a premium appearance.

Traditional black plastics present a challenge in recycling, as carbon-black pigments prevent NIR systems from identifying the polymer. The optical behaviour of silver masterbatches, meanwhile, reduces the reliability of NIR sorting.

This results in significant volumes of PET, polypropylene, and polyethylene, among other polymers, being sent to landfill or incineration.

Related: Choppy waters for masterbatch manufacturers

Broadway’s new formulations are engineered to address these issues. The new black masterbatches deliver a deep, opaque tone without the use of carbon black, enabling NIR systems to identify and sort the materials. The silver variants have also been reformulated to avoid scattering NIR light, ensuring consistent identification.

The company notes that both ranges can be specified with compliance options for EU and FDA food-contact applications and meet the requirements of the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.