A Better Tomorrow, Starting Today: Primex’s 2026 Sustainability Progress
August 26, 2026
At Primex, sustainability is more than a commitment; it’s a responsibility that shapes how we operate, innovate, and engage with the communities around us.
Our 2026 Sustainability Report highlights the progress our teams made throughout the past year, demonstrating how sustainability is being integrated throughout our operations, product development, facilities, and communities. From advancing recycled and renewable materials to strengthening environmental stewardship and investing in our people and facilities, we continue to focus on meaningful, measurable improvements.
Turning Sustainability into Action
Primex’s sustainability mission is centered on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. That commitment is reflected in our focus on energy-efficient technologies, recycling, waste reduction, operational efficiency, and collaboration across the product lifecycle.
Throughout 2025, teams across Primex continued to identify opportunities to make our operations more efficient and environmentally responsible.
Facility improvements included upgrades to material handling systems, drainage and containment solutions, energy-efficient equipment, lighting improvements, electric lift trucks, and process enhancements designed to reduce waste and improve efficiency.
Advancing Operation Clean Sweep
Environmental responsibility also means preventing plastic materials from entering the environment.
Since the rollout of Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS) in 2022, all Primex locations have embraced the shared goal of preventing plastic scrap, pellets, and dust from leaving facility containment and entering the environment. Teams across our locations have developed custom containment tools, devices, and best practices to help prevent spills and accidental releases.
In 2025, Primex had the opportunity to share these efforts with members of the national OCS network by hosting an onsite tour of our Richmond-area recycling center, manufacturing plant, and design and fabrication site during the national OCS Conference in Indianapolis.
Looking ahead, Primex will continue strengthening best-practice sharing through site-led improvement projects while expanding collaboration with the broader OCS community. Several locations will also participate in state and national plastic pollution cleanup initiatives.
Moving Beyond Virgin Materials
Sustainability is also driving innovation within our products.
The technical team at Primex Color, Compounding & Additives continues to develop material solutions designed to reduce environmental impact while maintaining the performance customers expect. Progress across the Faraprene and Faralloy product lines has focused on incorporating recycled and renewable materials without compromising performance, consistency, or manufacturability.
One significant milestone is the development of a 50A Faraprene TPE containing 45% recycled content and 35% renewable content—80% total sustainable content.
The material maintains approximately 90% of the physical properties of virgin materials while achieving more than 900% elongation at break.
Developing sustainable TPEs presents unique technical challenges, particularly when incorporating recycled content into soft elastomer formulations. Through rigorous product and supplier validation, renewable fillers, and multi-component formulation strategies, the PCCA technical team continues to explore ways to increase sustainable content while maintaining the performance required for demanding applications.
This work demonstrates an important part of Primex’s approach to sustainability: sustainable materials must also deliver the performance customers need.
Investing in Innovation
The John J. Farber Technology & Innovation Center also entered a new chapter in 2025.
Operations relocated to a new standalone facility in preparation for the installation of the new Double Bubble-X Extrusion Line at our corporate location. The expanded JJF facility provides additional space and flexibility for innovation, sustainability research, and customer collaboration.
The facility includes expanded extrusion bay capacity, upgraded laboratory facilities, dedicated office and conference space, and a temperature- and humidity-controlled analytical laboratory.
The team is also exploring new material technologies, including sustainable, bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable materials. Current research includes wood-flour PLA materials for packaging applications, a potential 100% plastic-free material platform using industrial waste streams, whey protein-based thermoformable packaging materials made from yogurt production waste, and coffee bean husks for higher heat-resistant applications.
Innovation is an important part of creating a more sustainable future—and research today can help open the door to new possibilities tomorrow.
Sustainability Starts with People
A sustainable business is about more than environmental performance. It also means creating a workplace where people can learn, grow, and return home safely every day.
Primex continued to make progress in workplace safety during 2025. The company reduced its OSHA Recordable Incident Rate from 3.60 to 3.23, recorded three fewer recordable injuries, and achieved a 48% reduction in workers’ compensation costs compared to the previous year.
Half of Primex plants operated for more than one year without a recordable injury, while two sites surpassed two years without a recordable injury.
Employee development remains an important part of this work as well. Since 2022, more than half of Primex frontline supervisors and managers have completed the Balmert Safety Leadership Workshop. In 2025, Primex also transitioned to the Adobe Learning Management System, providing enhanced tools for safety education and broader workforce development.
Making an Impact Beyond Our Facilities
Primex’s sustainability efforts extend into the communities where our employees live and work.
At the Jasper facility, team members participate in the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program through Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful. Employees collect cigarette waste in designated receptacles, helping prevent litter from entering the Tennessee River watershed.
The collected waste is shipped to TerraCycle, where plastic microfibers are extracted and recycled into durable materials, including outdoor plastic furniture.
The program is also a great example of employee-driven environmental stewardship. Jasper team member Linda Layne took the initiative to start her own collection effort, helping expand participation and increase the program’s impact.
A Better Tomorrow, Starting Today
The progress highlighted in our 2026 Sustainability Report represents the collective efforts of employees across Primex
Sustainability can take many forms, from developing materials with recycled and renewable content, to reducing energy consumption, improving material containment, investing in safer workplaces, supporting environmental initiatives, and finding new ways to make our facilities more efficient.
There is still work to be done, and we recognize that sustainability is an ongoing journey. But every improvement contributes to a larger goal: building a more responsible, resilient, and sustainable future for our customers, employees, communities, and industry.
At Primex, we’re committed to continuing that journey. A better tomorrow, starting today.
Explore the full 2026 Primex Sustainability Report to learn more about our progress and the work underway across our organization.