When COC Meets HDPE: How Colgate Pushed a Familiar Resin Into New Territory

Colgate-Palmolive, in collaboration with Polyplastics, has successfully developed a method to significantly lightweight HDPE bottles by 30% while maintaining performance and recyclability. This was achieved by blending high-Tg Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC) with HDPE, enabling its use in Injection Stretch Blow Molding (ISBM) where it was previously difficult to process. The innovation also results in an opaque bottle without the need for added pigments, which can benefit recycling efforts.