Circular Polymers

September 18, 2023

We are pleased to welcome Circular Polymers as a new Supporting Advisory Member to The Northeast Recycling Council

Headquartered in Houston with its plant located in Lincoln CA, new NERC Advisory Member Circular Polymers by Ascend has redirected about 85 million pounds of waste from landfills since 2018 and plans to further expand its operations. The Nylon 6,6, Nylon 6, PET and Polypropylene derived by the company from post-consumer carpet become feedstock for chemical recycling, and also provide polymer for traditional industries.


In November 2022, Ascend Performance Materials purchased a majority stake in Circular Polymers. In June 2023, the company launched Cerene, which it describes as “a line of recycled polymers and materials made from the company’s proprietary carpet reclaiming technology.” The materials in the Cerene line provide sustainable feedstock for many applications, including molding and compounding.

“Customers around the globe are seeking consistent and reliable post-consumer recycled materials,” said Maria Field, business director of Circular Polymers by Ascend. “Cerene is mechanically recycled using a process that minimizes our carbon footprint and environmental impact.”


Ascend’s acquisition of Circular Polymers provides the parent company with a consistent supply of high-quality PCR materials for its ReDefyne sustainable polyamides. “We are focused on helping our customers reach their sustainability goals and Circular Polymers by Ascend provides materials that offer strong performance with a considerably smaller environmental footprint, compared to other technologies like pyrolysis,” said Phil McDivitt, president and CEO of Ascend. “Since we launched ReDefyne, the demand for our circular products has been significant across all segments of our business, including automotive, consumer, electronics and high-performance fibers and textiles.”


“Since 2018, we have focused on improving the sourcing and processing of post-consumer high-performance polymers,” said David Bender, founder and CEO of Circular Polymers. “Having Ascend on board will accelerate our growth and ensure these materials go back into new long-term, high-performance applications.”


It’s all hands on deck for solutions to the plastics waste pollution crisis. NERC welcomes Circular Polymers by Ascend as a new Advisory Member, and looks forward to partnering on approaches to an effective circular economy.


For more information about Circular Polymers click here

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By Megan Fontes • May 29, 2025
The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) published its Chemical Recycling Policy Position on May 30, 2025. The purpose of the policy statement is to articulate guiding principles for environmentally responsible chemical recycling of plastics. NERC supports the conservation of natural resources, waste minimization, and recognizes the role of recycling in reaching these goals. Plastic is a prevalent material for packaging and other products due to its material properties. Producing virgin plastic from fossil fuels is an extractive process with negative environmental and social impacts. Therefore, NERC supports reduction, reuse, and recycling processes that displace virgin production in plastics where environmentally preferable. You can view the policy statement here: https://www.nerc.org/chemical-recycling . The Policy Position was developed by the Subcommittee of the NERC Chemical Recycling Committee. Participants on the Subcommittee included Committee Chair Tom Metzner, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP); Claudine Ellyin, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP); John Fay, Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA); Anthony Fontana, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Retired ; Michael Fowler, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP); Timothy Kerr, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), Left MDE ; Shannon McDonald, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE); Chaz Miller, Ex-Officio, NERC Board; Elizabeth Moore, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP); Marc Moran, Pennsylvania Department Of Environmental Protection; Michael Nork, New Hampshire Department Of Environmental Services; Megan Schulz-Fontes, Northeast Recycling Council (NERC); and Richard Watson, Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA). NERC created the Chemical Recycling Committee in 2022 with the goal of sharing information on new technologies called “chemical recycling.” The Committee shares information on the efficacy, cost, and impacts of these new technologies. Our Policy is the result of those efforts. The Committee is open to NERC state members and several advisory member organizations whose participation has been approved by the state members serving on the committee. NERC has published several other policy positions including the Post-Consumer Recycled Content Policy (2019) and Product Stewardship and Producer Responsibility Policy (2018), which can be found among others on NERC’s website: https://www.nerc.org/policy-positions-and-statements . For more information, contact Megan Schulz-Fontes, Executive Director, at megan@nerc.org .
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