At Plastindia 2026, Milliken’s plastic additives team delivered a clear message: India is no longer just an important market – it is central to the company’s global growth strategy. The company showcased its latest polymer performance innovations while highlighting how India fits into Milliken’s long-term vision for sustainability, differentiation, and premium product development. These perspectives were shared by Allan Randall, global product line manager at Milliken, and Pazula Namaiti, global product line manager for Hyperform.

For Milliken, the Indian polyolefin industry represents a rare combination of strong demand, rising capacity, and high growth potential. “Out of our six strategic business units, plastic additives is one of the most important,” said Namaiti. “India and China are the two markets that are seeing significant capacity increases and rapid growth. But India stands out because it has a much healthier capacity utilization compared to many other regions where supply exceeds demand.”

Fifth-generation clarifying agent – Millad ClearX 9000

One of the major highlights at the Milliken stand was the launch of Milad ClearX 9000, the company’s fifth-generation clarifying agent. According to Randall, the new product builds on the success of the widely used Millad NX 8000 but is designed to address “unmet needs” in clarity, efficiency, and sustainability.

“NX 8000 is the market leader today,” he said, “but we wanted to continue innovating. With ClearX 9000, we believe we now have a product that further improves the quality and effectiveness of polypropylene applications.”

Beyond aesthetics, the new clarifier also plays a role in reducing energy consumption. Millad NX 8000 is already UL certified for enabling energy savings during processing, and Milliken expects ClearX 9000 to deliver similar benefits. “Energy efficiency is a major focus for us,” Randall noted. “But it’s not just about energy – it’s also suitable for use in post-consumer recycled material, helping address both CO2 reduction and recycling challenges.”

India as a growth engine

India’s role in Milliken’s global plans is both strategic and long-term. “It’s one of the few markets that is still growing,” Randall said. “We’ve been here for almost 20 years. We started with a laboratory, and today we have manufacturing sites, multiple offices, sales teams, and technical labs across the country. And we will continue to invest.”

Randall added, “There are still many imports coming into the country. Expanding domestic capacity – combined with innovation – will allow Indian producers to compete more effectively.”

Pazula echoed this view, adding that demand is outpacing supply. “The capacity that exists today is not enough to fulfill India’s consumption. This market will continue to grow for the next three to five years. It is one of the high-growth regions of the world.”

Moving from commodity to premium grades

One of the key challenges, however, lies in the product mix. “Most of the capacity today is still focused on commodity raffia grades,” Pazula said. “We are beginning to see a transition toward premium grades – random copolymers, high melt flow, high impact, and high stiffness materials – but this shift requires collaboration across the entire value chain.”

He emphasized that success depends on converters, machine suppliers, resin producers, additive companies, and even consumers. “It’s like a puzzle. Everyone must work together to improve product quality. At Milliken, we engage from upstream to downstream – and even with brand owners – to educate and influence the market.”

Polymer trends and flexible packaging

According to Randall, one of the biggest trends is inter-material replacement. “We’re seeing more customers replace polystyrene, PET, and even polycarbonate with polypropylene,” he said. “The goal is not just to switch grades but to grow the overall ‘PP pie.’ PP is one of the more recyclable polymers, and this is driving its adoption globally.”

Pazula pointed to a more India-specific trend: the rise of single-injection-molded food containers. “These are already popular in China for food delivery. They are robust, leak-resistant, and well-suited for oily and liquid foods – which makes them ideal for Indian cuisine. We see this as a fast-growing segment.”

Preparing for stricter EPR norms

With Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations becoming more stringent, Milliken is focusing on enabling higher use of post-consumer recycled content. “We can’t predict the future, but we can control how we prepare,” Randall said. “We partner with recyclers, brands, converters, and resin producers to understand how to incorporate more PCR. Our additives – such as viscosity modifiers and clarifiers – are designed to make PCR easier to process and more visually appealing.”

Pazula shared a practical example: “Our nucleator 600 EIis already being used in fully PCR applications. PCR PP tends to yellow, but this additive, along with our AE package, significantly improves appearance, helping customers mask some of the disadvantages of recycled material.”

He added that the transition to PCR will be gradual. “To increase PCR content, the virgin portion of the formulation must be very robust. We are working on improving virgin resin performance so that higher PCR percentages – 20%, 30%, or more – become feasible.”