PERSPEX®
PERSPEX® FIVE-DOT-MISSION
PERSPEX® acrylic sheet, one of the best quality acrylic materials in the world, has been assessed in line with our MISSION: TOGETHER. RESPONSIBLE. The product currently achieves a FIVE-DOT classification with a total of 6 points.
Recycled content
The current production of our PERSPEX® cast acrylic sheets already contains a proportion of recycled MMA material. The majority of this material is waste from the manufacturing process which can be completely recycled by means of pyrolysis to provide raw material (MMA) for new acrylic sheets. Furthermore, all raw materials used in making our PERSPEX® sheets also comply with the requirements of the most recent version of the European Union Chemicals Regulation (REACH). In particular, PERSPEX® sheets do not contain any of the substances listed in the current version of the ECHA Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). PMMA does not contain any toxic substances or heavy metals which may cause environmental damage or pose risks to health.
Fossil CO2 bound in the material
Owing to the MMA used as a raw material in the manufacturing process, PERSPEX® contains fossil carbon. However, thanks to its lower density, PERSPEX® PMMA contains less fossil carbon per m2 than other transparent plastics. As well as the lower density, another factor to note is that, compared with other plastics, the polymer molecule contains a lower percentage of carbon atoms.
Product life cycle
Acrylic glass (PMMA) is a robust, highly transparent and extremely durable material featuring excellent UV stability and resistance to weathering and ageing. We guarantee a service life of thirty years (transparent sheets) as well as ten years (standard colours) for the PERSPEX® product family. The sheets are protected against the harmful effects of ultra violet rays and there are no significant changes with regard to optical or mechanical properties. When processed, used, and cared for in an appropriate manner, the life cycle of our sheets can be considerably longer than ten years. An extended service life also leads to saving resources as fewer replacements are required. Our PERSPEX® sheets are used in a wide variety of interior and exterior applications where priorities include durability, UV stability and, above all, transparency (92 % light transparency for colourless sheets). PERSPEX® is a product offering sustainable, long-term use and excellent product performance.
Recyclablility
PERSPEX® sheets can be converted back into their original raw material, methyl methacrylate (MMA), using various recycling processes. Most modern recycling processes convert PMMA sheets or waste from production processes into a MMA liquid monomer using chemical recycling (depolymerisation). The recovered MMA can then be reused to create a new product from an existing one. Renowned chemical companies are currently undertaking intensive research into improved depolymerisation technologies to achieve a more efficient and sustainable means of recovering the precious raw material MMA, which is used in manufacturing PERSPEX® acrylic sheets. These developments support efforts made by the market to increase the rate of PMMA recycling in Europe.
