Page 54 - Plastics News January 2023

Child’s play is serious business

circumstances the toys are subjected
to during child’s play,” said Mikko
Koivuniemi. “Our R&D work puts
a lot of emphasis on the safety and
sustainability of our recycled plastic
granules.”
The fact that the use of safe and
sustainable recycled material in new
applications is important for toy
and other product manufacturers is
heartening, he noted. “This is the best
uropean power company Fortum, plastics, said Mikko Koivuniemi, way to speed up the market uptake for
Eheadquartered in Finland, has Business & Technology Development new raw materials like Fortum Circo.”
announced that its Fortum Circo Manager at Fortum. “We already test
recycled plastic material has been our materials as part of our R&D To ensure that regulations are fit for
approved for toy applications in the process and we were sure of its safety, purpose, material development and
EU. but the initiative to get our Fortum regulation must go hand in hand.
Circo tested for compliance with the This means that as raw material
Fortum Circo is produced from post- Toy Safety Standard was actually producers, Fortum’s responsibility
consumer plastic waste. This waste is suggested by the customers.” is to ensure the materials it makes
separately collected and delivered to are Safe and Sustainable-by-Design.
the company’s plastic recycling plant, Having now demonstrated compliance Policymakers, however, on their
where it goes through a number with the EU Toy Safety Standard EN part must ensure that the regulatory
of steps - including NIR sorting and 71-3, Fortum’s Fortum Circo PP, measures relating to a product are
separating - prior to being processed HDPE and LDPE grades will now also coherent, fit for purpose and assessed
and compounded, also at the plant.As be able to be used in an even wider based on their actual use cases,
the entire process is carried out in- range of products. The EN 71-3 Toy Koivuniemi added.
house, Fortum says it can guarantee Safety Standard is designed to assess
a consistent quality of recycled raw the potential release and migration “At the same time, the packaging
material ‘from batch to batch and of chemicals if a toy or components manufacturers need to consider the
from month to month’. of a toy were to be swallowed by recyclability of their products and
a child. The European Committee ensure as much of the product as
Toy-grade recyclate from Fortum for Standardisation (CEN) sets the possible can truly be recycled. This
Circo is EN-71 compliant. is done by making smart raw material
standards for toy safety.
The overall goal is to have safe choices.”
materials that reduce the use of virgin “Toys must remain safe throughout
use in children’s play and under any

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54 PLASTICS NEWS January 2023