Avient Launches Award-Nominated Cesa™ Tough™ A4R Additive to Boost ESCR in Recycled HDPE at PRSE 2026

May 5, 2026

Plastics Recycling Show Europe 2026 Product Innovation Finalist Delivers Significant Environmental Stress Crack Resistance for Post-Consumer Recycled Materials

Avient Launches Award-Nominated Cesa™ Tough™ A4R Additive to Boost ESCR in Recycled HDPE at PRSE on May 5, 2026

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AMSTERDAM – May 5, 2026 – Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, today announces the launch of Cesa™ Tough™ A4R (additive for recycling), a new polyolefin additive technology, at this year’s Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) in Amsterdam, where it has earned recognition as a finalist in the Product Innovation category. This performance-enhancing additive addresses one of the plastics recycling industry’s most critical challenges: significantly improving Environmental Stress Crack Resistance (ESCR) in recycled high-density polyethylene (r-HDPE) while maintaining material recyclability.

Transforming Post-Consumer Recycled HDPE Performance

Cesa™ Tough™ A4R can deliver measurable, game-changing performance improvements for r-HDPE compared to r-HDPE without the additive, enabling broader use of recycled materials and achieving demanding characteristics, including:

• Environmental Stress Crack Resistance (ESCR): Improves performance by more than 100% in bent strip tests
• Melt Flow Rate: Increases processability by 20% for easy manufacturing
• Strain at Break: Enhances flexibility by 35% to help reduce risk of material failure 
• Impact Strength: Boosts durability by 140% to extend product lifespan 

These improvements are especially beneficial for difficult-to-fit applications where durability and resistance to environmental stress are crucial, such as with HDPE. For example, cable jackets need long-term protection against environmental stressors like moisture, soil chemicals, and mechanical strain, which can lead to failures in telecommunications and power distribution systems. To address this issue, Avient’s team from its CycleWorks™ Innovation Center for Plastic Recycling collaborated with the Italian cable manufacturer Tratos to develop Cesa™ Tough™ A4R. 

Enabling Circular Economy Goals

Formulated to maintain the recyclability of r-HDPE, Cesa™ Tough™ A4R supports the plastics industry’s drive toward more sustainable solutions. Performance characteristics adapt based on the quality of the recycled content and the shape of the end product, providing versatility across diverse applications.

“We’re excited to introduce Cesa™ Tough™ A4R at PRSE, where industry leaders collaborate to advance circular economy initiatives,” said Dr. Jan Sϋltemeyer, Global Sustainability and Innovation Manager at Avient. “I am proud that Avient has been nominated as a finalist for the PRSE Awards in the Product Innovation category for the development, along with Tratos, of this latest additive technology for recycling, which is a testament to our ongoing commitment to innovation and the value we bring to our customers and the plastics recycling industry.”

This is the fifth time Avient has been recognized as a finalist in this category, including a 2023 product finalist for Cesa™ Nox A4R, a product winner for its Color Prediction Service, and two 2024 product finalist nominations.

Visit Avient at PRSE 2026

Connect with Avient’s materials innovation experts at booth C100 at the PRSE in Amsterdam, May 5–6, 2026, to learn how Cesa™ Tough™ A4R can help you improve product durability and support your sustainability goals.

Award winners will be announced live at the show, with results subsequently posted to the PRSE Awards 2026 Information Page.

For comprehensive technical specifications, application guidance, and case studies for Cesa™ Tough™ A4R, visit the dedicated Cesa Tough A4R product page.

About Avient 

Our purpose at Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT) is to be an innovator of materials solutions to help our customers succeed, while enabling a sustainable world. Our local touch and customer engagement, combined with our global presence, allows us to serve customers with agility. We harness the collective strength of more than 9,000 employees worldwide to collaborate and build on each other’s ideas. In doing so, we innovate solutions that help our customers overcome their challenges or capitalize on opportunities provided by the fast-changing world and secular trends. Our expanding portfolio of offerings includes colorants, advanced composites, functional additives, engineered materials, and Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™. By intersecting our broad portfolio of technologies with the product roadmaps of our customers, we help create differentiated and high-performance products that make the world better and more sustainable. Visit www.avient.com to learn more.  

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Media Contact
Nicole DeChant
Avient Corporation
nicole.dechant@avient.com