Closed Material Loops

Closed material loops are a founding principle of Close the Loop, and we consider the constant pursuit of closing material loops a major pillar of our core business.

Closed material loops, sometimes known as closed loop material cycles, are where a raw material used to produce a product, is collected at end of life (EoL) and recovered for reuse in the next generation of the same product.

A good example of a closed material loop is a Close the Loop project in partnership with an inkjet catridge manufacturer (OEM) a plastics compounder a manufacturer of virgin plastics, and an injection molder.

In this example, Lexmark inkjet cartridges are collected in Australia and the USA, and certain models are separated by predominant plastic type. The cartridges are then processed in Close the Loop's patented production equipment and the plastic fraction is separated from other fractions including ink, foam, and metals.

The plastic fraction is then further refined, blended with virgin resin (plastic), and sent to the injection moulder for production of new inkjet cartridges. This program has been running very successfully since early 2009 and the project partners are now working on expanding the concept to include other plastic types from other products. We are proud to add that this project was awarded “finalist” in the 2009 Global Plastics and the Environment Conference awards in Orlando Florida.

The diagram (above) shows the traditional supply chain vs the closed loop model.