Bad news about plastic continues to proliferate. As if plastic’s petrochemical origins and accumulation in the world’s oceans weren’t concerning enough, microplastics now threaten our lungs. In recent conversations with building professionals, some say we should eliminate all plastic.

Which is entirely the problem. We discard some 350 million metric tons of waste plastic annually and seem determined to get rid of more each year. Even if new polymer production were curtailed, unwanted plastic needs a home other than an ocean garbage patch.

Amsterdam-based The Good Plastic Company approaches an optimal example of a new manufacturing solution for waste plastic, transforming this burgeoning waste stream into new, upcycled products. The company makes Polygood panels for architectural applications, including facade cladding, interior partitions, countertops, shelving, and signage. The 100% recycled panels meet ISO and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) standards and have achieved Cradle to Cradle Bronze certification.

Although The Good Plastic Company is just one of a burgeoning community of manufacturers finding useful second lives for plastic, the organization has made progress in addressing some of the common hurdles such companies face. Typical challenges include combining ingredients with varying performance, adding binders or adhesives, achieving high aesthetic quality, and recyclability. A closer look at this manufacturer’s thoughtful approaches demonstrates how such hurdles might be overcome, revealing a compelling story about waste plastic’s potential future.

Entrepreneur Dr. William Chizhovsky founded The Good Plastic Company in 2018 to address the worldwide plastic waste crisis. At the time, he had been experimenting with different waste streams and plastic types—including HDPE-based shampoo bottles, old toys, and trash washed up on Hawaiian beaches. He decided to focus on polystyrene (PS), as this polymer type is available at scale, performs well mechanically (e.g., doesn’t bend), and offers a high level of quality control.

When Chizhovsky and his team began to search for recycled PS sources, they determined that the largest waste streams are refrigerators and electronics, followed by single-use cutlery, toys, and compact disc cases. “When we obtain any new batch of material, we make multiple tests for use on its own or for when mixing with other colors to make beautiful combinations,” he explains.

Early clients inspired him to develop new offerings via custom material development, sometimes incorporating their own post-industrial waste into new products. An example is Nike, whose custom-fabricated panel includes fragments of recycled plastic footwear.

Today, The Good Company makes Polygood panels from various sources, ranging from yogurt containers to old televisions and refrigerators. One challenge similar manufacturers face is that each piece of plastic—even within the same polymer type, like PS—is made using different modifiers.

This variation can cause problems in manufacturing, as materials can exhibit different melting behaviors and unpredictable color ranges. For this reason, The Good Plastic Company tests each batch for such properties in its factory laboratory to ensure high-quality outcomes. The manufacturer has also developed relationships with dependable, high-volume suppliers to maintain consistency and quality control.

Although the company does not recycle plastic internally, it manufactures products from some of Europe's largest and most established recycling centers. “We verify our suppliers to ensure that their quality and values match our vision and stringent procedures, along with our Cradle to Cradle Certification,” says Chizhovsky. “Our key suppliers hold the EuCertPlast certification, which guarantees the traceability, quality, and content of recycled plastics.” The company will also open a facility in the U.S. in the near future.

Polygood panels are composed of both post-consumer and post-industrial content. Seventy percent of the panels consist of post-consumer PS from old refrigerators and single-use cutlery. The remaining 30% comprises post-industrial PS waste, such as old tubing, spools, and manufacturing components.

The company sources all of its recycled material from established recycling centers, which shred and process the appliances, electronics, and components into flakes and granules using approved methods that align with the manufacturer’s strict standards for quality and environmental practices.

Adhesives or additives are sometimes used when making new products from recycled plastic to bind dissimilar polymers together. This approach makes it difficult to recycle the material later. However, because Polygood panels are created entirely from thermoplastics, no additional adhesives or chemical elements are required.

The Good Plastic Company utilizes thermopressing technology to make Polygood panels. This technology, unlike extrusion or pressure casting, enables textured patterns to appear within the material. This capability obviates the need to employ ecologically harmful coating application methods, and the patterns do not degrade with surface wear and tear. Themopressing also operates at lower heating temperatures than conventional molding techniques, minimizing material degradation and reducing embodied energy.

Polygood panels are commonly single-sided since most applications only require visibility on one side—such as countertops or cladding—but they can be made dual-sided. The standard finish is matte, but semi-gloss and high-gloss finishes are also possible.

A challenge with most recycled plastic products is the tell-tale, unsophisticated aesthetic that results from various colors of shavings being compressed together. However, Polygood panels exhibit an impressively high aesthetic standard, similar to terrazzo or marble, without attempting to mimic those materials. Unique material combinations deliver uncommon finish patterns. For example, Sea Foam Dark consists of PS from black spools, computers, and refrigerators, with scattered white veins from CNC shavings.

What about plastic’s new threat, the proliferation of microplastics? During the production of plastic components, microplastics are usually produced during two operations: milling (chips) and sanding (dust). The Good Plastic Company’s processing eliminates grinding and obtains the required surface directly after melting. “This not only eliminates dust generation in our production but also reduces dust production at fabricators, as they don't need to grind surfaces additionally,” explains Chizhovsky. The manufacturer also collects and utilizes chips to melt new panels. Nevertheless, this is a simplified strategy for the much broader, more complex problem of microplastics proliferation—a phenomenon requiring significant industry transformation to protect human health adequately.

Unlike products that commingle several recycled polymer types, Polygood panels are inherently recyclable several times over because they are made from one type of recycled plastic. The Good Plastic Company also offers a free take-back program, so clients can return used panels and offcuts at the end of a project’s lifespan. Thus, old panels can be recycled and made new again.

This strategy to close the waste loop is unusual for a manufacturer and will likely face challenges. Like recyclability, which does not ensure recycling rates, the provision of a take-back program does not guarantee full compliance. The AEC industry must change its standard practice of dumpster-directed waste to realize a circular economy for plastics and other frequently discarded materials. Such a transformation is necessary in a world swimming in waste plastic, and its manifestation will enable companies like Polygood to fulfill their ecological aspirations.