"This new line of polycarbonate represents a significant step in supporting the automotive industry's transformation towards a circular future," said Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at ����AV. "By offering high-quality PCR materials derived from end-of-life headlamps, we're enabling our customers to meet increasingly stringent regulatory requirements while contributing to closed-loop recycling of automotive plastics."

Under this initiative, ����AV has been collaborating with partners, including Chinese recycler Ausell and leading automakers, to establish closed-loop pathways for high-value plastics from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). This program focuses on strengthening recycling processes and establishing reliable supply chains for high-quality recycled materials from automotive waste streams. Through this partnership, ����AV and its value chain allies have developed practical solutions for collecting and mechanically processing end-of-life headlamps into high-quality PCR grades suitable for a range of automotive applications.

"This partnership underscores the importance of cross-sector collaboration in driving the circular economy forward," said Martin Hansen, Regional Director of GIZ in East Asia. "By bringing together key industry players, we are not only creating viable solutions for recycling high-value plastics from end-of-life vehicles but also fostering innovation that supports a sustainable, closed-loop material flow in the automotive industry."

The introduction of these new PCR grades comes at a critical time as the automotive industry, one of the most resource-intensive sectors, faces increasing environmental challenges and regulatory pressures. The EU's End-of-Life Vehicle Directive, which sets recycling targets, along with China's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program and growing sustainability requirements in key global markets, are pushing automotive manufacturers worldwide to seek innovative and sustainable material solutions that comply with evolving regulations.

����AV’s new PCR grades meet the high-performance standards required for demanding automotive applications, offering excellent surface quality for superior aesthetics and adhering to strict Vehicle Interior Air Quality (VIAQ) requirements. This combination of sustainable content and premium performance empowers automotive manufacturers to meet both regulatory demands and environmental goals without compromising on product quality.

As part of its broader commitment to sustainability and the circular economy, ����AV continues to expand its portfolio of recycled-content materials. In recent years, the company has introduced PCR polycarbonates with up to 90 percent recycled content, and opened its first dedicated mechanical recycling compounding line for polycarbonates in Shanghai. Last year, it introduced a new range of polycarbonates based on chemically recycled, attributed material from post-consumer waste via mass balance for the first time.

In response to the growing demand for sustainable solutions in currency printing, ����AV is introducing Autentium^®, an innovative polymeric printing substrate. Designed exclusively for currency printing applications like banknotes, Autentium^® combines cutting-edge anti-counterfeiting technology with a recyclable mono-material design.

"The launch of Autentium^® represents a significant breakthrough in currency printing, offering an innovative, recyclable polymeric substrate that excels in printability, durability and is more sustainable," says Daniel Hentschel, Global Segment Manager for ID & Security Printing at ����AV.

Key Features of Autentium^® include:

• Exceptional printability: It supports secure printing techniques such as intaglio and offset, enabling embossed structures and therefore tactile security features that differ from traditional paper and existing polymer substrates.
• No coatings or primers needed: Its secondary properties as a hot-melt adhesive contribute to superior ink adhesion without requiring additional primers or coatings, streamlining the printing process and improving durability.
• Water & Stain Resistance: The polymer absorbs only minimal moisture, which contributes to a low static charge, while at the same time being resistant to contamination.
• Advanced laser engraveability: It allows precise micro-engravings, providing advanced anti-counterfeiting measures and enhancing currency security.
   

As a single-polymer solution, Autentium^® is recyclable, addressing the demand for sustainable materials in banknote production. Its high tear propagation resistance and excellent ink adhesion contribute to extend the lifespan of printed currency and can help reducing the environmental impact and conserving resources.

Furthermore, its durable composition can translate into long-term costs savings by minimizing replacements, making it an ideal choice for governments and the public sector that prioritize security and environmental responsibility.

Meet ����AV at Intergraf Currency + Identity 2025 

����AV will showcase Autentium^® and other advanced polymeric solutions at the Intergraf Currency + Identity 2025 trade show. Join us from March 5-7, 2025, at the Allianz MiCo, Milano, Italy. Visit us at booth 16 to discover how Autentium^® can redefine your security printing requirements and drive innovation in currency production.

This technological development to recycle Vulkollan^® marks an important step towards more sustainability in the elastomers industry. The technology enables to not only recycle a mass fraction of more than 90% of the end-of-life material like forklift tires, but also to reduce the carbon footprint by up to two thirds compared to virgin material.

“The pilot plant and with it our commitment to proving the feasibility of recycling for elastomers demonstrates our clear commitment for circular solutions and marks an important milestone for our elastomer products”, states Dr. Thomas Braig, Head of the Elastomers business entity. “With the successful scale-up of this new recycling process we address the demand of our customers for end-of-life solutions and carbon footprint reduction while assuring the high quality of our elastomer products. At the same time, this pilot plant is an invitation for players along the value chain to cooperate on developing a circular setup and the reverse value chain for end-of-life materials.”

Pioneering Chemical Recycling for Elastomers

����AV customers use Vulkollan^® systems to mold parts for many applications with a high demand for durability and performance. Typical applications for parts made of Vulkollan^® are wheels for forklifts, bumper elements in railways and vibration control elements and jounce bumpers in cars. The excellent quality of Vulkollan^® allows more sustainable and cost-efficient operation of the target application through longer lifetime, longer maintenance intervals and less unplanned shutdowns. Due to the high yield of the recycling process, end-of-life Vulkollan^® materials can be re-introduced into new automotive jounce bumpers and forklift tires via a mass balancing approach.

The new chemical recycling process is a game-changer for the elastomers industry. Unlike mechanical recycling methods, this approach breaks down elastomeric end-of-life material into its chemical building blocks, to obtain purified monomers that can be re-used for these materials with known and proven quality.

Driving Sustainability and Industry Collaboration

"The new chemical recycling process addresses the unique challenges of elastomer materials, which are trusted to be very resistant and long lasting. Downcycling is not an option for this high-performance application,” explains Markus Dugal, Head of Process Technology at ����AV. “This technology allows us to recycle a high mass fraction of the end-of-life material and, in this way, to reduce the environmental impact of our elastomer production. It is a testament to ����AV's innovative spirit."

The pilot plant will play a crucial role in refining the recycling process beyond lab scale, testing the process with various waste streams and with various end-of-life materials. It will also serve as a platform for ����AV to engage with potential project partners and customers, paving the way for the development of a larger commercial recycling plant in the future.

����AV's investment in elastomers recycling aligns with its broader strategic goals of reducing environmental impact, promoting circular economy principles, and maintaining its position as an innovation leader in the polymer industry. The company invites potential partners and customers interested in circular elastomer solutions to engage in discussions about future collaborations and applications and prove the environmental benefit of the solution along the value chain.

����AV’s CERTEVO^® revolutionizes security printing with several key features: It supports excellent printability via intaglio and offset processes, enabling embossing structures—surpassing traditional paper and enhancing security elements. Its hotmelt nature eliminates the need for coatings and primers, ensuring superior ink adhesion that simplifies printing and boosts durability. Additionally, advanced laser engravability allows precise micro-engravings, making counterfeiting efforts more challenging.

As a single-polymer composition, CERTEVO^® is recyclable, meeting the demand for sustainable security printing materials. Its high tear resistance and ink adhesion extend the lifecycle of printed items while conserving resources. CERTEVO® thereby addresses environmental concerns and meets evolving sustainability requirements in document production.

Furthermore, its durable composition lowers long-term costs by minimizing replacements, making it an ideal choice for governments and the public sector that prioritize security and environmental responsibility. 

Meet ����AV at TRUSTECH 2024

����AV’s team will be present at the trade show, held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles - Pavilion 5.2, from December 3-5, 2024. We invite industry professionals and stakeholders to discuss with us at meeting room 8 and discover how CERTEVO^® and other advanced polymer materials can transform their security printing needs.

Since 2020, ����AV has been partnering with Ausell to recycle 1 million 19-liter polycarbonate water barrels annually, converting them into high-performance post-consumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonates for various industries such as electronics, home appliances and automotive. With this strengthened collaboration, Ausell will supply recycled polycarbonates derived from discarded automotive headlamps, which ����AV will then process into high-quality PCR materials for automotive engineering applications. This partnership marks a further step to effectively closing the plastics recycling loop within the automotive sector, reducing waste and carbon emissions while enhancing resource efficiency.

Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at ����AV, said: “We are excited to deepen our partnership with Ausell as we work closely with our value chain partners to accelerate the circular transformation of the automotive industry. Together, we are committed to pioneering sustainable solutions that will lead the way toward a circular and climate-neutral future.”

Xia Wenjun, CEO of Ausell, added: “Our enhanced collaboration with ����AV represents a significant step toward achieving our shared vision of a circular economy. By turning end-of-life automotive components into valuable resources, we are not only reducing waste but also contributing to the development of sustainable materials for future vehicle production.”

The automotive industry, facing increasing regulatory pressures for sustainability, as well as following their own roadmap to “close the loop” of materials, is looking for robust and adapted solutions to their challenges.

This collaboration positions ����AV and Ausell at the forefront of efforts to develop compliant, high-performance materials while addressing the challenges of plastic waste management and resource utilization in the automotive industry. The recycled polycarbonates will not only enhance the sustainability of automotive components but also demonstrate the potential for high-value recycling solutions.

����AV is investing a mid-single-digit million Euro amount in the scale-up from the Netherlands. In addition to ����AV, the financial investors Invest-NL and Infinity Recycling are also involved in the project. Once operational, the demonstration plant will convert 20 kilotons of mixed plastic waste per year. Following successful upscaling of the technology over the past years, the demonstration plant is a crucial intermediate step for the technology to be implemented on an industrial scale.

"Our vision is to fully align with the circular economy and climate neutrality, and we are pursuing all innovative solutions that bring us closer to this goal," says Thorsten Dreier, CTO of ����AV. "Chemical recycling can make a significant contribution to closing the loop and the BioBTX ICCP technology is a promising way of using waste to recover raw materials that we use in production." Unlike other recycling technologies, this technology also makes mixed waste from different source materials suitable for the process.

The investment in BioBTX is part of ����AV's venture capital program, in which the company invests in young start-ups and scale-ups with innovative products, solutions or business models and thus promotes entrepreneurial activities in and alongside its core business. The partnership with BioBTX also includes two joint development agreements. In the development projects, ����AV is researching further possibilities for recycling its own products and contributing know-how in the field of digitalization to improve plant performance.

����AV has been cooperating with BioBTX for more than four years and, together with the company, has launched the EU-funded Circular Foam project, which is working on the recycling of rigid polyurethane foam using pyrolysis.

"We are pleased that we can contribute our expertise in the areas of application development, digital research and development and chemical recycling to the project and thus provide impetus for a new, Europe-wide circular ecosystem for plastic waste," explains Torsten Heinemann, Head of Group Innovation and Sustainability at ����AV.

"With its participation in BioBTX and the construction of the demonstration plant, ����AV is enabling an important step towards a sustainable chemical industry," says Ton Vries, CEO of BioBTX. "The production of renewable aromatics from plastic waste and biomass is a prerequisite for circular chemistry."

The demonstration plant is scheduled to go into operation by early 2027. Further information on the project can be found .

The aim of the partners is to recycle the sorted polyurethane foams as efficiently as possible by combining mechanical and chemical technologies after careful sorting by foam type in the mattress cutting plants.

Collaborations leveraging own expertises with like-minded partners are key: In addition to Ecomaison and ����AV, the French dismantling company Secondly and Federal Eco Foam, a Belgian specialist in the mechanical recycling of flexible foams, are involved as partners in the project, which is planned to run for a maximum of 24 months. The project is called Foam Recycling Ecosystem Evolution (FREE) and coordinated by ����AV and half-funded by Ecomaison.

For the FREE consortium, the motivation lies in the added value of the material that can be recovered from the used foams and the opportunity to enter a more sustainable circular economy. The partners want to explore all possibilities in a future-oriented foam recycling ecosystem and are convinced that chemical and mechanical recycling will complement each other in a meaningful way. As dismantler and sorting actor, Secondly is interested in empowering its sorting processes to be able to supply to recyclers a specified quality of foam.

At the same time, the project will provide a good picture of how the foam recycling market in the coming years may look like. The partners truly believe that chemical and mechanical recycling can be complementary given different specifications of inlet materials being sorted already at dismantlers. To provide added value to the PU foam material, the consortium will investigate all possibilities in a future oriented eco-system of foam recycling.

The research and development project includes the foam sorting at the dismantling step, as well as a comparative feasibility study for two recycling processes for the sorted foams covering economic and ecologic value co-creation.

A few years ago, ����AV and its partners developed a chemical recycling process that is the only one of its kind capable of ultimately recovering both main raw materials of flexible PU foams in high purity. The company also operates a pilot plant at the Leverkusen site for this purpose. Together with the waste management industry, the company wants to drive the process forward to industrial use.

To make its vision of a fully circular economy a reality, ����AV is making the development of innovative recycling technologies a priority and calls the evolution of recycling . The chemolysis of PU mattress foam is the first initiative of ����AV of its kind and is called Evocycle^® CQ Mattress.

"A paradigm shift and intensive cooperation along the value chain are needed for the transition to a circular economy to succeed. The chemical and waste management industries in particular must continue to grow together in the future in order to create synergies and develop solutions together," says CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann. "With innovative recycling technologies and now also as an authorized waste dealer, ����AV is well equipped for this. We can now actively shape partnerships for waste management and a recyclate portfolio in the EU ourselves."

"IFAT brings together many established players in waste management. In addition to making new contacts, we also want to position chemical recycling, which is often still viewed skeptically, as an integral part of a modern circular economy. By participating in IFAT, ����AV is demonstrating to many stakeholders the contributions our company wants to make to circular integration," says Tara Nitz, Manager Global Circular Economy and responsible for IFAT cooperation at ����AV.

Broad portfolio of recycling technologies

In addition to various exhibits showing current examples of recycling solutions and partnerships, ����AV uses the world's leading trade fair for the waste management industry to explain mechanical and chemical recycling technologies in order to create transparency and strengthen confidence in the efficiency of such developments. The company has many years of experience in the mechanical recycling of polycarbonates and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) and only last year significantly expanded its capacities for the processing of mechanically recycled products in China and Thailand.

For ����AV, chemical processes include chemolysis as a method for recovering raw materials under the influence of chemicals, smart pyrolysis at elevated temperatures and enzymatic recycling, in which microorganisms break down the chemical bonds. What they have in common is that the polymer molecules are converted back into the original raw materials, from which new products of the same quality as new goods can be created. The processes will be clearly explained at the ����AV stand on the "Recycling Wheel".

At IFAT, ����AV will also show how circular solutions in its product portfolio are becoming even more recognizable for customers. With the “CQ” concept, ����AV emphasizes the alternative raw material base for its products if it is at least 25 percent. “CQ” stands for Circular Intelligence. With the new recycling technologies, the CQ portfolio is now growing even further. This includes the reuse of polyurethane mattress foam components – the first chemical recycling initiative marketed by ����AV under the name Evocycle^® CQ.

Under a joint pilot program initiated by German federal enterprise GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), ����AV and partners will collaborate to establish closed-loop pathways for high-value plastics from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). The goal is to create an efficient and sustainable automotive plastic recycling system, advancing the more sustainable “transformation of the industry”. The pilot program was announced at ����AV’s booth during the CHINAPLAS 2024 international trade fair in Shanghai. Notable partners include leading automotive brand owners such as NIO of China and Volkswagen, Chinese recycling company GEM, and third-party certification bodies like TÜV Rheinland.

"We are proud to partner with like-minded value chain allies to pioneer closed-loop plastic recycling in the automotive sector," said Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at ����AV. "By leveraging our collective strengths and resources, we are confident in our ability to build a closed-loop for automotive plastics recycling, thereby reducing waste and carbon emissions at the source while improving resource use efficiency. Through this joint program, we aim to expedite the automotive industry’s transition toward a more climate-neutral and sustainable future."

"The automotive industry stands as one of the most resource-intensive sectors globally, yet the potential of high-value plastics from ELVs remain largely untapped," said Martin Hofmann, Cluster Head in charge of Climate, Energy, Environment and Biodiversity at GIZ. "GIZ is steering an innovative endeavor to explore closed-loop pathways for high-value plastics from ELVs. I firmly believe that GIZ and our partners can forge a path towards the transition to a sustainable, circular economy."

As part of the pilot program, a team of professionals will explore methods to recycle and process waste polycarbonate components, such as end-of-life car headlights, into post-consumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonates. The recycled materials will then be reused for various interior and exterior vehicle applications, saving resources and reducing carbon emissions.

This could offer urgently needed long-term solutions for the automotive manufacturing industry, which seeks high-quality PCR materials that are compliant and high-performance amid increasingly stringent regulations. For example, in 2023, the European Commission proposed a new regulation to enhance the circularity of the automotive sector, mandating that 25 percent of the plastics used in a new vehicle must come from recycling, of which 25 percent must be recycled from end-of-life vehicles.

����AV will also be showcasing more solutions for the automotive industry at its booth at the CHINAPLAS 2024, such as an intelligent front grill and mono-material polycarbonate headlamp that are designed for a connected and circular future.

For a closer look at ����AV’s solutions at the CHINAPLAS 2024, visit the company at booth 7.2-C38, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from April 23 to 26, 2024.

In attendance at the opening ceremony were North-Rhine Westphalia’s Deputy Minister President Mona Neubaur as well as Professor Walter Leitner, Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion in Mülheim an der Ruhr. Together with Dr. Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer of ����AV, they discussed the significance of bio-based raw materials for a sustainable chemicals industry of the future.

“Among other things, aniline is a key raw material for foams used to insulate buildings and refrigerators,” explained Dreier, on the significance of the base chemical. “Until now, aniline has been produced from fossil raw materials such as petroleum, which releases CO₂ and fuels climate change. With our new process, we are contributing to building up a circular, bio-based economy, and I am very proud that we have now succeeded in making the jump to the next technological level.”

����AV developed the process, which has already won several awards, together with partners in the scientific community. Compared to conventional technology, the process leads to a greatly improved CO₂ footprint of aniline. ����AV has made a seven-digit investment in the pilot plant at the Chempark Leverkusen.

"Sustainable innovations from North Rhine-Westphalia are making a decisive contribution to the transformation of Germany as a chemical location. The world's first pilot plant for bio-based aniline is an impressive example of this," emphasized Neubaur, who is also the State Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy. "In order for the industry to continue on its path towards a circular economy and climate neutrality, it needs planning and investment security above all. As the state government, we are therefore working hard to ensure that North Rhine-Westphalia remains an attractive business location and becomes the first climate-neutral industrial region in Europe."

Professor Leitner also underlined the importance of partnerships. “The project illustrates the cooperation between research-based industry and application-oriented science. There are many intersecting partnerships like these, especially in NRW. Germany needs more of this in order to assert itself as a research and technology location.”

Use of biotechnology

The project also clearly showcases the potential contribution of the industrial (“white”) biotechnology to plastics production: in the new process, a customized microorganism helps convert an industrial sugar extracted from plants into an intermediate product through fermentation. This takes place under milder and thus more environmentally compatible conditions than in conventional processes. In a second step, chemical catalysis of the intermediate product then creates the aniline with one hundred percent plant-based carbon.

The research on bio-based aniline will also continue to be funded by the German government. The German Ministry for Food and Agriculture is funding a follow-up project (Bio4PURDemo) from ����AV and partners, which started in March 2022 and runs until 2025. 
The RWTH Aachen with the CAT Catalytic Center and the University of Stuttgart, as well as the technology transfer initiative located there, are also participating in the project.

Around six million tons of aniline are currently produced worldwide, with the volume growing by approximately three to five percent per year on average. With a production capacity of more than one million tons per year, ����AV is one of the leading aniline producers.

The Panelists

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"The launch of our MCR production line marks another significant stride in our journey towards achieving a circular economy and operational climate neutrality by 2035," said Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer of ����AV. "Plastic waste recycling is pivotal in realizing this vision, and through the expansion of our recycled plastics production capacity, we aim to lead the way in driving sustainability across diverse industries."

����AV is committed to supplying over 60,000 tons of recycled-content polycarbonates annually in the Asia Pacific region by 2026, in response to robust market demand. Recently, the company also transformed an existing compounding line at its Map Ta Phut site in Thailand for mechanically recycled polycarbonate.

"These investments enable us to meet the rising demand for PCR polycarbonates, enhancing our capacity and efficiency. With new or repurposed capacity now operational, we are better positioned to assist our downstream customers in their journey towards more sustainable products, expediting the transformation of industries towards a circular and climate-neutral future," said Lily Wang, Head of ����AV’s Business Entity Engineering Plastics.

A broad range of PCR portfolio

The demand for such materials is surging on a global scale, driven by regulatory initiatives like the European Union’s proposed Directive on end-of-life vehicles (ELV Directive), which sets strict benchmarks for the utilization of recycled plastics. Furthermore, industries like consumer electronics are poised for increased demand for recycled materials, especially those with a substantial recycled content.

These market dynamics underscore the significance of ����AV’s recent developments in providing PCR polycarbonates. Earlier this year, the company unveiled a polycarbonate boasting 90 percent recycled content. This grade not only attains outstanding whiteness and highly saturated colors but also touts a sustainable feature – a 70 percent reduction in carbon footprint compared to its fossil-based virgin plastic counterpart. Achieving this remarkable accomplishment requires a meticulous selection of high-quality recycled materials and precise optimization of material composition during the compounding process.

Furthermore, ����AV is actively engaged in pioneering the chemical recycling of polycarbonates. Having successfully developed an innovative process within the laboratory, the company is now embarking on the technical implementation of this breakthrough at a pilot scale.

Expansion of polycarbonate production capacity in Asia Pacific

After debottlenecking multiple production lines at the Map Ta Phut site in Thailand, ����AV is nearing the final stages of a program to enhance polycarbonate production capacity and capabilities across the Asia-Pacific region. This program also includes the addition of new production lines at sites in Shanghai and Guangzhou, China, as well as Greater Noida, India, in recent times. The combined additional capacity now exceeds 100,000 metric tons annually. These strategic projects, aimed at optimizing the regional production network, have been supported by using digital tools, which also reduced investment costs.

"In this way, we aim not only to meet the growing demand for polycarbonate in Asia, but also to offer our customers there an improved product quality," says Dr. Nicolas Stoeckel, Head of Operations in the Business Entity Engineering Plastics. "Depending on demand, the upgrades can be used for compounding recycled or conventionally produced polycarbonate." Therefore, both projects are also about improving ����AV´s ability to produce more plastics with higher recycled content.
 

"As a manufacturer of plastics such as polycarbonate, we naturally have a responsibility in dealing with these important materials, including at the end of their product life. Our advantage is: we know how our products are designed and can therefore conduct targeted research into recycling solutions," says Dr. Thorsten Dreier, ����AV's Chief Technology Officer. "The chemical recycling of polycarbonate is another example with which our colleagues in development show that closed cycles are possible in the future. We need to use end-of-life plastics as a resource and reuse them as alternative raw materials to close the loop."

The return of plastics through recycling replaces primary fossil raw materials in production. Comprehensive recycling thus contributes to climate neutrality and the protection of natural resources and the environment. Mechanical recycling of polycarbonate is already an important component of ����AV's recycling strategy. The mechanical recycling process is used whenever waste streams are sufficiently pure and the recycled polycarbonate meets the requirements profile of the future application.

Chemical recycling works in a complementary way to mechanical recycling - it converts plastic building blocks back into monomers, i.e. their individual building blocks. These can be separated and serve as raw materials for future plastic. Chemical recycling can therefore make larger waste streams that are unsuitable for mechanical processes in particular accessible for recycling; it allows the production of plastics that meet the highest quality requirements. ����AV is therefore actively developing chemical recycling.

Chemolysis can directly close the polycarbonate cycle

The newly developed process, which was driven by an international team, is a specific chemolysis process adapted to polycarbonate. "Pre-sorted waste streams containing a product content of more than 50 percent polycarbonate can be recycled this way. This has been successfully demonstrated with various polycarbonate-containing plastic waste streams," explains Markus Dugal, Head of Process Technology at ����AV. "With the help of this chemolysis, the cycle can be closed to a direct precursor of polycarbonate. This makes the recycling process very sustainable."

Direct use of recycled product as raw material possible

The recycled product, a precursor of polycarbonate, can be mass-balanced and reused as a raw material for the production of polycarbonate without further processing. "Such high-quality recycled raw materials are needed for applications that require top quality. These include, for example, applications in the automotive sector with special requirements in terms of safety, optical transparency or aesthetics, and products in our everyday lives such as consumer electronics," says Lily Wang, Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity.

Millions of euros will be invested

Following successful development in the laboratory, the next stage of development, the technical implementation of a continuous process, has already started. A pilot plant, which is currently in the planning stage, will be used to gather the experience needed for further expansion to industrial scale. Millions of euros will be invested in this over the next few years. The pilot plant will be built in Leverkusen, Germany.

At the same time, ����AV is driving forward further processes for innovative recycling of polycarbonate in its research laboratories. These include chemolytic alternatives, recycling with enzymes that break down the plastic, and smart pyrolysis. Promising alternatives can also be tested with the pilot plant.

Plastics are key to sustainable growth and a green future. To ensure that plastic products do not become waste at the end of their life, they must be reused as alternative raw materials. Innovative recycling is one of the four fields ����AV is actively driving forward on the road to a circular economy. ����AV is therefore stepping up its research into recycling methods, with an open approach to technology, and promoting innovative approaches such as chemical recycling.

In Paris, from May 29 to June 2, another will focus on drafting a global agreement against plastic waste pollution, which should be in place by the end of 2024. The international community initiated the process in spring 2022 at the United Nations Environment Assembly. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), around 22 million tons of plastic waste, including microplastics, enter the oceans and the environment each year¹. Without countermeasures, the annual amount could double by 2060. 

"Resource consumption is on the rise and mountains of waste are growing – with negative consequences for the environment and climate. We urgently need to take countermeasures here and fundamentally change consumption habits and production patterns," emphasizes Dr Markus Steilemann, CEO of ����AV. "We need to make the circular economy a reality, and recycling is crucial here, in addition to the production of long-lasting and resource-conserving products. ����AV can and wants to play a central role in this." 

Joint research center for processing plastic waste 

Currently, the global recycling rate of plastic waste is only nine percent². But with more recycling on an industrial scale, one study suggests that nearly 60 percent of plastic production could be met by recycled materials by 2050, reducing petroleum consumption by 30 percent³. This is where the World Economic Forum comes in, through its Low Carbon Emitting Technologies initiative, which promotes collaboration on a global scale to accelerate the development of low carbon emitting technologies for chemical production, including processing plastic waste. Seven international chemical companies, including ����AV, have signed a collaboration agreed to establish a together with the Dutch research institute TNO. Initial work will focus on the sorting, cleaning and conditioning of plastic waste to make it suitable for subsequent recycling technologies. 

One key problem is that some types of plastic cannot be recycled, or can hardly be recycled at all. That is why ����AV is pushing the development of chemical recycling as an additional method. This involves breaking down used plastic into its chemical components so that new material can then be produced from these molecules. 

Breakthrough for mattress foam recycling 

����AV has achieved a technological breakthrough for the chemical recycling of soft foam for mattresses. So far, around 40 million of these end up in waste incineration plants or landfills each year in the European Union alone⁴. With the new "Evocycle CQ-Mattress" process, the two central foam components can now be recycled. At the company’s Leverkusen site in Germany, this process is being further developed in a pilot plant with the prospect of industrial use. 

The chemical recycling of rigid foam for insulating buildings and refrigeration appliances is the focus of a Europe-wide research project CIRCULAR FOAM initiated in 2021 and coordinated by ����AV. Here, 22 partners from nine countries are working together. If the material cycle can be closed, around one million metric tons of waste and three million metric tons of CO₂ emissions per year could be saved in the European Union from 2040. 

In order to also improve the recycling of food packaging made of paper and cardboard, ����AV has been offering a new development on the market since May 2023. For this purpose, the company has developed a special coating material that, unlike conventional coatings, can be recycled together with the packaging. It is also produced itself in the spirit of circularity - with raw materials that are partly based on plants. 

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"With this we have fully achieved the goal of developing a technology to chemically recycle these products and convert polyurethane into a high-quality recycled material," says Bart Haelterman, R&D Director at Recticel. "For the first time in history polyurethane is truly fitting into a circular economy." The European Union funded the PUReSmart project with six million euros over a four-year period under its Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (agreement No. 814543).

Building on the PUReSmart project, ����AV is working with partners from the waste management industry to drive the further development of flexible foam recycling through to industrial use. "Our goal is to turn waste into valuable raw materials and to anchor the principle of the circular economy in our company and along the value chain with our partners to achieve this," says Christine Mendoza-Frohn, Head of Performance Materials Sales EMEA & LATAM of ����AV. ʺThat’s why we make innovative recycling a priority. We call this ongoing Evolution of Recycling: Evocycle^® CQ. The first initiative of this kind is dedicated to the chemolysis of PU mattress foam and is called 'Evocycle^® CQ Mattress'. This underlines our willingness to further invest in this technology," says Mendoza-Frohn.

Raw materials in high yield and purity

Unlike other chemical processes for recycling PU flexible foam, the process does not use fossil-based polyol. It requires only the pre-sorted foam from mattress waste, a glycol and an additive. During chemolysis, the polyol and toluene diamine (TDA), the precursor to TDI, are recovered in high purity and yield. After reprocessing, they can be used again as often as required for the production of new PU flexible foams. This ensures a sustainable circular economy for PU flexible foam with a reduced CO₂ footprint.

The goal: an industrial value cycle

����AV's first initiative, Evocycle^® CQ Mattress, transforms end-of-life mattress foam directly back into its main building blocks, giving old foam a new life within an optimized circular system. The company aims to close the loop in the PU mattress industry by converting waste into valuable resources, reducing the use of fossil fuels and significantly lowering CO₂ emissions. However, there are still many steps to be taken before this vision becomes reality, especially with regard to upscaling the process.

The journey began for ����AV in 2019, leading to the start of a pilot plant at its Leverkusen site as early as 2021 to verify the positive laboratory results achieved to date. If the trials continue to be successful, the company plans to build a larger recycling plant to validate the technology in an industrial simulation environment.

However, an effective and cost-efficient supply of used PU mattresses is also crucial to building a circular economy. To achieve this, large quantities must be collected, broken down into individual components such as springs, textiles and foam parts, and the foam components pre-sorted according to purity and density. This can only succeed in close cooperation with partners – in this case in the recycling industry. ����AV is already cooperating on this with companies such as Interzero and Ecomaison (formerly Eco-mobilier).

The DPP of the venture is a universal and interoperable platform that provides ingredient transparency about a product for all stakeholders across industries and across Europe. It provides factual, objective, measurable information on product ingredients, components, provenance, and attributes like CO₂ footprint, recycled content and recyclability.

Sascha Bloemhoff, Marketing Director at Niaga^® and responsible for the DPP: “Most systems today are linear, tracing only high-level data. Such systems lack crucial pieces of ingredient information needed to close the loop. Detailed ingredient knowledge is a must, if we want to avoid downcycling of valuable materials during recycling, whatever the product or industry: electronics, clothing or the building sector.”

Martin Snijder, Circular Economy Orchestrator at EIT Climate-KIC: “The DPP radiates circularity in every aspect, as do Niaga®’s core activities. The DPP is under development and managed by an experienced and convincing team. The jury hopes the minimum transparency level of the Niaga^® DPP will become the standard in Europe.” 

Winning the prestigious prize is the recognition of the Niaga^® DPP as a key enabler for circularity and underlines the importance of material stewardship, transparency and traceability in achieving a truly circular economy. Lynette Chung, Chief Sustainability Officer at ����AV: “In order to achieve a fully circular economy, we need to connect stakeholders and transport knowledge along the value chain, and support consumer trust and demand for more sustainable product offerings. It’s why we’re particularly proud of our innovation venture’s DPP being recognized as a key enabler for a no-waste, circular economy. The DPP provides essential infrastructure for a sustainable future and is a viable solution that also protects users’ IP sensitive information.”

Sascha Bloemhoff adds: “It is our mission to design out waste. Our key learning in our journey has been that to make return, and with it, reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling possible we need the full disclosure of a product’s ingredient, material, and component information. Moving from theory to practice, pointed us in the direction of our universal and interoperable product passport. Because our DPP revolves around ingredient transparency – not just traceability – it’s a solution that helps to put valuable materials centre stage. Because in a true circular economy what is a polyester sweater today, could become a car seat tomorrow and a mattress in the future.”

About Niaga^®: 
We are on a mission to design out waste completely. We are passionate about transitioning to a circular economy, bringing reuse, repair, refurbishment and recyclability, from theory to practice. In our view, a product is only fully circular if it contains clean and infinite materials, reversible connections, and if it is returned for material reuse. That’s why return is key.

Together with our partners we (re)design with the end in mind. We design to use again. The scannable Niaga^® tag enables users to see what a product is made of and how to return it after each use-cycle. Behind the tag there is a brand neutral DPP. This helps all parties in the value chain to keep valuable materials in the loop for future generations. Niaga^® is part of ����AV.

Contact
Sascha Bloemhoff, Marketing Director Niaga^®
sascha.bloemhoff@covestro.com
Tel. +31 6 200 150 64

“Biotechnology has enormous potential to produce plastics in a more environmentally friendly and efficient way,” says Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of ����AV. “As an innovation-oriented company, we want to expand our capabilities in this area. In particular, we expect this to provide further stimulus for the circular economy, to which we are completely gearing our company.”

Recycling with enzymes

In order to better tap the potential of industrial (“white”) biotechnology for plastics production, the junior research group enzyme catalysis, or NEnzy for short, has now been established at ����AV. It will receive a total of 2.5 million Euros in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for five years and is cooperating closely with RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

The new group is working to recycle end-of-life products and plastic waste through enzymatic recycling. The researchers also want to use enzymes to treat wastewater in plastics production. Another focus is the targeted and complete decomposition of used plastic in nature.

New laboratory

The experts now also have more space and even better equipment – in a new laboratory that ����AV has built at its headquarters in Leverkusen. Here, biotechnological processes can be represented in a particularly realistic way in a wide range of sizes, from one milliliter to soon 100 liters of reaction volume.

“We are taking nature as our model, which has created sensational processes and has practiced closed-loop recycling for millions of years,” says Dr. Gernot Jäger, who heads ����AV's Biotechnology Competence Center. “With the help of enzymes and microorganisms, we can efficiently use alternative raw materials and thus replace fossil resources. At the same time, unwanted byproducts can be avoided or at least reduced significantly.”

Chemicals from plants

Specifically, ����AV is already using biotechnology to research and develop new ways to sustainably produce aniline. This basic chemical plays an important role in plastics production worldwide. Until now, it has been obtained almost exclusively from fossil raw materials such as petroleum, which releases CO₂. ����AV needs aniline to produce a precursor (MDI) that is used to make insulating foam for buildings and refrigeration equipment.

Together with partners from industry and science, ����AV has developed a pioneering process to produce aniline from plant-based raw materials such as straw or sugar beet plants in an environmentally compatible way using microorganisms. Fully biobased aniline has already been obtained in this way and successfully processed into test products. Now the process, which has already won several awards, is to be further developed on a larger scale. The project is funded with public funds from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

Another precursor for coatings and adhesives (HMDA) can already be produced on a larger scale from plants and with the aid of biotechnology. ����AV and the U.S.-based biotech company Genomatica have succeeded in doing this through a partnership.

In biotechnology, there are several major areas that are identified by colors.

White or industrial biotechnology is used in industrial production processes, especially in the chemical industry.

Green biotechnology helps in agriculture, for example, to make plants more resistant to climate change.

Red biotechnology advances medicine – for example, to produce vaccines like those used to protect against Corona.

Therefore, ����AV is turning K 2022 in Düsseldorf from October 19^th to 26^th into a workshop. Under the motto Crafting Connections With You, ����AV is inviting partners, customers, and multipliers to work together on concepts: How can the principle of the circular economy be advanced as a shared, global vision? How can new resources, less energy-intensive processes and integrated supply chains be used?

“A truly sustainable future must not remain a utopia. Now is the time for all partners in the value chain to pull together. Solutions emerge through exchange. At K 2022, we want to showcase the huge potential of plastics. After all, climate neutrality targets and a circular economy cannot be achieved without plastics,“ says Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of ����AV. “But the conditions for the entire industry have to change. Above all, we definitely need cheap green power in very large quantities. That’s why we’re coming together in Düsseldorf – to take a big step forward together.”  

Panel discussion on October 19^th with business and society

����AV is underscoring this ambition with a panel discussion on “Pioneering a Fully Circular Future – with climate-neutral plastics” broadcast publicly on October 19^th starting at 10:45 a.m. on the and social media channels. In addition to Markus Steilemann, Dr. Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE, Sophie Herrmann, partner at the SYSTEMIQ think tank, and Teresa Oberhauser, representing youth organizations in the United Nations Environment Programme, will take part in the panel. One thing the participants have in common is that they are demonstrating promising solutions in the fight against climate change and advancing them with partners – whether they are industry, think tanks, or leaders in social and political discourse. 

Four core areas for a climate-neutral company

At K 2022, ����AV invites visitors to discover solutions on the path to a climate-neutral chemical industry committed to the circular economy.

“We are on the journey to becoming a fully circular company and rely on close interaction with our customers and partners. To enable our customers to achieve their climate neutrality and sustainability goals, we have set ourselves an ambitious target. We want to become climate neutral by 2035 from our operations and energy supply, “ says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer of ����AV. “At K 2022, we will be showcasing key highlights from this journey: innovative products and solutions developed with alternative raw materials, innovative recycling, and renewable energies. This allows customers to see for themselves how hydrogen, biomass, end-of-life products and waste can be used as promising alternatives to fossil raw materials. At ����AV, these solutions are already paving the way to a fully circular economy”.

The ����AV booth will focus on four topics of the future:

• “Crafting Electrification” demonstrates how the company is working with partners to advance green energies – for example, with plastics solutions for wind turbines or electric cars.
• “Crafting Sustainable Living” presents modern, climate-neutral plastics for buildings or refrigerators, for example, which help to reduce the CO₂ and energy footprint.
• “Crafting Smart Designs” provides an insight into how ����AV is using the opportunities offered by digitalization to work in a more connected and sustainable way along the entire value chain.
• “Crafting Circular Economy” illustrates how a systematic transition to a circular economy can be the key to climate neutrality and resource conservation.

����AV has identified the problem - and has developed a process for recycling companies and packaging manufacturers to address this problem: In the case of multi-layer film packages laminated with polyurethane (PU) adhesive, the respective materials can be separated from one another again thanks to the new technology. The team will now present the development at the K 2022 trade fair from 19 to 26 October in Düsseldorf.

In the process, a special separation agent specifically weakens the bond strength of the PU adhesive. Since the separation agent consists of natural ingredients and water, it is also very sustainable. For packaging manufacturers and recyclers, the process offers a major advantage: "Our know-how helps them to make better use of the residual value of their packaging and thus makes more materials available to the recycling industry," says Thomas Fait. The New Business Development Manager for Adhesives at ����AV has led the development of the technology on a laboratory scale. "With projects like this, we contribute to achieve our corporate vision: to make the circular economy a reality. For this purpose, we work with partners from a wide variety of fields and industries and are always looking for ways how our products and technologies can help other companies become circular."

At the K 2022 trade fair, the team will be presenting the technology to the plastics industry for the first time and looking for potential partners from the packaging and recycling industry to further develop the process together with them.

The line, which represents an investment of more than EUR 27 million, will be capable of delivering more than 25,000 tons of high-quality polycarbonates and blends containing mechanically recycled content annually when it is planned to be commissioned in 2023. Overall, the company aims to be capable to deliver more than 60,000 tons of polycarbonates with recycled content in Asia Pacific per year until 2026.

"The MCR production line is another exciting step we have taken to fulfill our commitment toward a circular economy and achieve our goal to become operational climate neutral by 2035," said Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer of ����AV. "Recycling plastic waste is absolutely essential to the circular economy, and addresses one of the major global challenges we face together as a society. We will continue to invest in expanding and improving our capacity for recycled plastics, and leading the industry to create materials with higher recycled content." 

"To meet the rapid growth in demand for more sustainable and circular solutions from our downstream customers, we will continue to invest in expanding our capabilities," said Lily Wang, Head of ����AV’s Engineering Plastics segment, at the groundbreaking event. "This MCR production line is the latest example of our efforts in this regard and signals our commitment to driving the transition to more sustainable products in this region, especially in China."

Repurposing a compounding facility in Thailand for the ASEAN market

����AV will also be repurposing an existing compounding line at its Map Ta Phut site in Thailand to a plant for mechanical recycling. The conversion of the plant is scheduled to be accomplished by the end of 2022 and continue to pave the way and meet market demand for polycarbonates from post-consumer recycled (PCR) content across multiple industries in the ASEAN region. Based on the current forecast, the unit will supply up to 10 percent PCR based product of its annual production volume by 2030.

Dr. Nicolas Stoeckel, Head of Operations in the Engineering Plastics segment, said: "The new developments in China and Thailand are not only about investing in capacity increase, but also about improving our capability to produce more products with higher recycled content and more consistent quality. These developments will further strengthen Asia’s reputation as the world’s leading producer of polycarbonate PCR grades."

The two facilities in Shanghai and Map Ta Phut will boost ����AV’s output of PCR polycarbonates Makrolon^® R and Bayblend^® R, which contain up to 75 percent recycled content and can contribute to a carbon footprint reduction of up to 50 percent while meeting performance and eco-labels’ requirements.

����AV intends to focus entirely on the Circular Economy. The company is driving the development of innovative and resource-saving processes to make its products recyclable to meet this goal. That is why ����AV intends to offer more material solutions based on sustainability and circularity in the markets in which it is active. ����AV's own technological development is focused on four recycling approaches. In addition to mechanical recycling, which is already used for the high-performance plastic polycarbonate and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ����AV is developing chemical recycling processes: These include chemolysis, smart pyrolysis and enzymatic recycling. The aim of these processes is to produce recycled plastics in virgin material quality while significantly reducing the environmental footprint compared to the conventional fossil-based production of polymers and polymer raw materials. ����AV applies its core competence in chemistry to process development.

"We see ourselves as the driving force behind the Circular Economy industry that is currently being developed, where the chemical and waste management industries will have to grow closer together in perspective and synergies will have to be created," explains Markus Steilemann, Chairman of the Board of ����AV. "We are moving forward here with vigor for the entire industry: with various recycling approaches, we can systematically recover the different raw materials we need for the production of our plastics. Our goal is to fully circularize materials from end-of-life products to save fossil raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions, while offering recycled high-performance materials in virgin quality." The company plans to invest around one billion Euro in Circular Economy projects by 2030. In Leverkusen, ����AV already operates a pilot plant for the chemical recycling of flexible polyurethane foams.

In addition, ����AV will showcase how circular solutions in the product portfolio can be made even more visible to customers at IFAT in Munich. With the "CQ" concept, in the future ����AV will highlight the alternative raw material base in products if it is at least 25 percent. "CQ" here stands for Circular Intelligence. Among the first "CQ" products is Desmodur^®CQ. Polyurethanes based on Desmodur^®CQ are deployed, for example, in upholstered furniture, mattresses and thermal insulation. They are used, for example, as coatings for cars or household appliances.

 "In order to take meaningful climate protection measures, we need a change, a paradigm shift, for us, our customers and everyone else in the entire value chain. At the same time, the benefits must be clear in the application of such solutions. The chemical industry must fundamentally change as a central part of the value chain - toward alternative raw materials and renewable energies," says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer at ����AV. "We have set ambitious targets to make our production fully circular and ultimately independent of fossil resources. In doing so, we are supporting a wide range of industries to reduce the carbon footprint of their own products," Govil said.

Cooperations provide contribution to full Circular Economy

New recycling processes and cooperation with partners from industry and research are making an important contribution to achieving full circularity. For example, ����AV is coordinating the EU project "CIRCULAR FOAM" with 22 partners from nine countries. The aim of the project is to develop innovative chemical recycling processes for rigid polyurethane foams. As an insulating material, rigid polyurethane foams contribute to the energy efficiency of refrigerators and buildings - but coordinated waste management and suitable recycling processes are still lacking for a sustainable life cycle. Chemical recycling could save up to one million tons of waste and 2.9 million tons of CO₂ annually from 2040.

Markus Steilemann and Sucheta Govil at IFAT

To kick off IFAT on Monday, May 30, 2022, Sucheta Govil will be a guest on the show's opening session. The topic will be the role of environmental technologies for a more sustainable future. Participants will include founder Mikela Druckman, an expert on AI in recycling and a member of the WEF Global Future Council; Prof. Dr. Erich Zahn, co-author of the Club of Rome report "The Limits to Growth"; Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff, Board of Management of the Circular Economy Initiative from the Federation of German Industries; and Ren Xiaoyuan, (UNEP) Young Champions of the Earth 2020 and founder of the water information network MyH2O.

CEO Markus Steilemann will discuss the topic "Global Value Creation in the Crisis? The Circular Economy as Europe's Response" on a BDI panel on Tuesday, May 31, at 2:15 p.m. with Delara Burkhardt, environmental policy spokeswoman for the Socialists and Democrats delegation in the European Parliament, Dr. Christoph Epping, head of the Circular Economy subdivision at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, and Wolfgang Niedermark, member of the BDI's Board of Management. On Wednesday, June 1, Markus Steilemann will give an introduction at 12:15 p.m. to the panel discussion "Chemistry for circular mobility: Chemical recycling as a building block of circular value creation for automotive?" with experts from Audi, ����AV and TU Dortmund University.

����AV at IFAT 2022 in Munich, Germany

• DGAW booth (Hall/Booth: A6 125/224) and VCI booth (Hall/Booth: A6 231)
• Monday, 30 May, 11:50 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Opening panel "How to create change?" - From activism and politics to environmental solutions and impacts" with Sucheta Govil (Forum Water Hall C3. 139/238)
• Tuesday, May 31, 2:15 p.m., (Hall C6, Room C62a, BDI Initiative Circular Economy), and Wednesday, June 1, 2022 (12:15 p.m., Hall A5 | 317/416 | Waste / Secondary Materials Forum): Markus Steilemann visits IFAT

For use from July 13, 2021, specifications on the quality and property requirements for recycled polycarbonates from post-consumer and post-industrial waste have been developed in the Guobiao (GB) standards. In addition, standards for testing methods, packaging, transportation and storage of these recycled materials will be introduced to ensure proper handling throughout the value chain.

"Creating uniform standards is essential to improve the polycarbonate recycling value chain while promoting the use of these recycled materials in downstream applications," said Kayla Wu, global program manager of mechanical recycling, ����AV's Engineering Plastics segment. "As a global leader in polycarbonate sustainability solutions, ����AV is proud to contribute our expertise to the development of the national standards while living up to our vision of full circularity."

Improving quality and traceability in recycling

To turn polycarbonate waste into high-quality recyclates, the materials need to go through many quality control steps and specifications and require close collaboration along the value chain. End-of-life polycarbonate products are first collected, sorted, shredded and cleaned before being reprocessed into pellets by recycling companies. ����AV then blends these recyclates with virgin polycarbonates to produce high-quality post-consumer recycled materials to be used again in new products like laptops, copiers, printers and other electronic devices.

In its collaboration with Chinese beverage producer Nongfu Spring and recycling company Ausell, ����AV has gone one step further in closing the material loop with new business models. Through this collaboration, the companies have further optimized the recycling efficiency of Nongfu Spring's 19-liter polycarbonate barrels and improved the traceability and quality of recycled materials. Building on this success, ����AV plans to further look into other waste streams such as e-waste to help the electrical and electronics industry build a circular economy.

"Improving the quality and standardization of recycled plastics is key to the transition to a Circular Economy. The Chinese GB standards for polycarbonate recyclates will create even more transparency regarding the quality of recycled polycarbonates, thus boosting market demand," says Daner Xue, product technology expert of ����AV's Engineering Plastics segment.

The circular economy is regarded as a crucial systematic approach to achieving climate neutrality, conserving the limited resources of the earth and advancing the protection of the environment and nature. In the ����AV talk, participants discussed ways to achieve this under the slogan "Joint Solutions". The industry must, above all, make its production processes fossil-free throughout by consistently switching to renewable energies and replacing oil with renewable raw materials. At the same time, recycling needs to be massively expanded, which also requires behavioral changes in society.

German minister Schulze: “Keep plastics in circulation”

Environment Minister Svenja Schulze: “Waste prevention and recycling are central components of a true circular economy. If products are reusable and returnable packaging solutions are widespread, then we no longer need climate-damaging petroleum for plastic packaging. With recycling, we can keep plastics in circulation and reduce the use of primary raw materials. Too much plastic waste is still being burned, even in Germany. The Federal Government is making manufacturers responsible for packaging waste. With ambitious recycling targets, we have provided the decisive impetus for a plastics recycling industry in Germany. If a company only uses the resources that it really needs, then that amounts to an active contribution to climate protection.”

����AV CEO Steilemann: “Let’s initiate a raw material revolution”

Steilemann emphasized that climate-intensive industries such as chemicals, in which ����AV operates, must together initiate a real raw material revolution. "The oil age is coming to an end. We can achieve sustainable production with alternative raw materials such as biomass, CO₂ and waste, which are being circulated and do not release any greenhouse gases. There are more and more insights, ideas and inventions that we must implement together. But we also need better framework conditions for the investments that must be made."

Ørsted deputy CEO Neubert: “Foster cross-industrial partnerships”

For Neubert, Ørsted’s Chief Commercial Officer and deputy CEO, the consequent and accelerated expansion of green energy is crucial to achieve the circular economy and climate neutrality. Partnerships between companies in the energy sector and other industries could give important impetus for this. ”Ørsted plans to install 50 gigawatts renewable energy by 2030. A large share of this will be offshore wind. The continued and consistent expansion of wind energy in the North Sea and Baltic Sea will be essential to secure the electricity supply in Germany and Europe, as well as to enable the production of renewable hydrogen. Transnational projects, such as energy islands, are just one of many important innovative ideas."

Expert Kadner: “Involve also citizens in the transformation”

Kadner emphasized that not only production methods but also value chains must change: "If we want to leave the ‘throwaway society’ behind us and implement a true circular economy, we need new forms of cooperation. To create the networks we need for value creation, to successfully implement circular business models and achieve truly circular product management, all stakeholders - including citizens - must be involved." The Circular Economy Initiative Deutschland, whose office is headed by Kadner, is working together with experts from business, academia and civil society to demonstrate new approaches.

The broadcast was recorded and can be accessed . In addition, ����AV provides on the circular economy and the topics of alternative raw materials, renewable energy and innovative recycling.

Find here the press release about the event.

Webcast „Fully Circular Talks“:

Watch the webcast “Joint Solutions – Collaboration is key to drive the circular economy for plastics" .

Photos:

Circular Economy @����AV:

Find more information here.

����AV at a Glance:

Are you looking for more information? Here you could find further facts about ����AV.

The glass-fiber filled pellet material brings structural performance to a part at a substantially lower carbon footprint than virgin material. Manufacturers can now make their supply chain more circular without the need to compromise on performance.

Increasing sustainability, reducing cost

The recycled PET has been optimized for 3D pellet printing. This technology, also known as fused granulate fabrication (FGF), allows for fast and economically viable additive manufacturing of large-size parts. Direct printing of applications lowers cost by reducing product development time. Plus 3D printing allows design flexibility, which can help reduce material cost. 3D printing is an intrinsically more sustainable production method as it only uses the material that is needed. By also making the material more sustainable, ����AV helps manufacturers shift toward a Circular Economy.

Arnite^® AM2001 (G) rPET‘s mechanical properties and broad processing window makes it ideally suited for structural applications across a variety of industries, including pedestrian bridges, tiles for cyclist or pedestrian tunnels, architectural applications like cladding or partition walls, in- and outdoor furniture, small boats, packaging crates or tooling.

Hugo Da Silva, Head of Additive Manufacturing (former-DSM) commented: “The introduction of this high-performing material for 3D pellet printing is an important step in creating circular supply chains. With PET packaging accounting for more than 50 percent of total plastic waste, extending its lifetime by re-using it as feedstock offers a broadly available alternative to virgin raw materials – without the need to compromise on performance or total cost of ownership.”

Patrick Rosso, Head of Additive Manufacturing (����AV) added: “We’re excited about the introduction of this circular material designed by our new colleagues. It perfectly fits the ����AV vision of a Circular Economy. This material is the best proof point we could want to underpin the two teams’ joint ambition to bring the market a stronger materials partner that can help accelerate industrial additive manufacturing.”

Press Releases:

• Closing the loop for polyurethane mattresses
• ����AV and REnato lab launch Circular Design Guidebook for EEA industry

Photos:

Infographic:

Videos:

On average, mattresses contain 15 to 20 kilograms of foam, which results in a large amount of waste at the end of their useful life. The foam is primarily made of two important raw materials. While other chemical recycling approaches mainly focus on processing one of them, the ����AV process now enables the recovery of both raw materials.

����AV has also recently started operating a pilot plant for flexible foam recycling at its Leverkusen site to confirm the positive laboratory results achieved to date. The first phase is to focus on recycling one of the raw materials, before the recovery of the second component is also to be piloted from summer this year. ����AV´s goal here is to industrialize chemical recycling processes for used flexible foams and ultimately to remarket both recovered raw materials.

Closing material loops

"The development of this innovative recycling technology and the investment in the pilot plant are further milestones in realizing our vision of fully aligning ����AV to the circular economy," says CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann. "In doing so, we want to replace fossil resources in production, steadily further reduce the carbon footprint of our materials and create new solutions for dealing with plastic waste. Chemical recycling is particularly promising for this, and must be developed further and used more intensively overall. Above all, it should finally be put on an equal legal basis with other recycling methods."

In cooperation with the companies Recticel and Redwave – a division of Wolfgang Binder GmbH – and as part of the PUReSmart research project, ����AV has also developed an intelligent sorting solution for separating the different PU foams from post-consumer mattresses. The software uses algorithms to correctly identify the different foam types, which facilitates an effective recycling process. This development is another element of ����AV’s digitalization strategy, combined with the new opportunities it entails for the chemicals and plastics industry.

Co-creation of a circular ecosystem

"Based on our competencies and experiences, we also want to take part in shaping the emerging value creation cycle," says Daniel Meyer, Global Head of the Polyurethanes segment at ����AV. "To accomplish this, we rely on international cooperation with partners and also develop innovative business models. The aim is to generate new sustainable business opportunities with our customers, other partners and for ourselves."

The project is an important step forward in taking the development of the circular economy at ����AV to entirely new heights. The increased use of used materials further contributes to solving the societal challenge of sustainable disposal of such waste and to achieving the European Union´s goals for the circular economy and for climate and environmental protection.

"With the mass balance certification across the entire value chain, we want to achieve complete transparency, also for our customers," says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at ����AV. "At the same time, we are helping them to reduce their own carbon footprint and are offering them a drop-in solution that they can instantly implement in their existing production processes without the need for technical modifications.”

Systematic tracking of the supply chain

"With the gradual conversion of our production to renewable raw materials, we are helping to drive carbon in circles and are coming closer to our vision of circularity," explains Dr. Klaus Schäfer, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at ����AV. "The raw materials we use meet the high sustainability requirements of the ISCC Plus Standard throughout the entire supply chain."

As part of a strategic cooperation, ����AV received a first shipment of ISCC-Plus certified phenol from Borealis in October, which was produced from renewable hydrocarbons from Neste. Phenol is an intermediate product for polycarbonate. Consequently, this means that the supply chain from the originally used waste and residual oils and fats to the plastic is now fully ISCC Plus certified. Polycarbonate is used in high-quality applications in the automotive and electronics industries, among others.

Gradual conversion to renewable raw materials

The certification of the plastic as well as the intermediate product MDI strengthens the use of alternative raw materials at ����AV. MDI is used to produce rigid polyurethane foam, which has been providing efficient thermal insulation for refrigeration appliances and buildings for decades. Gradually converting to renewable raw material sources is part of a comprehensive program with which ����AV, in collaboration with its partners, aims to drive forward the transition to a Circular Economy and become fully circular itself.

ISCC ("International Sustainability and Carbon Certification") is an internationally recognized system for the sustainability certification of biomass and bioenergy. The standard applies to all stages of the value chain and is recognized worldwide. ISCC Plus includes further certification options for technical-chemical applications, including plastics made from biomass.

Getting information from supply chains has always been a challenge. Not only because of the inherent complexity of the supply chains and the multitude of suppliers, but also due to concerns around trust, privacy and confidentiality. That is why blockchain is offering such a fitting solution to transparency challenges in supply chains. “We believe transparency should not come at the cost of reduced privacy and confidentiality. That is why we developed our patent pending technology for creating verified statements on public blockchains without revealing any underlying sensitive data. While this raw data is very valuable in a B2B setting, consumers demand a more distilled and interactive version. We are proud to present exactly that in collaboration with Porsche and some of their pioneering suppliers,” says Mesbah Sabur.

Porsche has a large number of suppliers providing parts to its cars but it doesn’t stop the company looking for more information about the materials that go into its cars. According to Antoon Versteeg, Project Lead Innovation Research at Porsche, “We need to know more details on the parts and materials being used in our products, that means information on production processes deep down the supply chain, statements of recycled content and more. With the help of Circularise, as well as with the help of their partners we were able to trace for a number of specific cases plastics from raw material production to the final car.”

A number of suppliers who can deliver sustainably produced materials for the automotive industry were involved in this project to realise the final outcome. Each batch of material was digitized on the blockchain receiving a digital copy called digital twin. The digital twin carries all relevant information regarding the batch, such as its environmental footprint and origin. This digital thread created transparency between project partners leading to an improved supply chain collaboration.

This also offers great advantages to the material manufacturers. According to Thomas Nuyts, Director of Global Product Management at Domo Chemicals, “as leader in the production of sustainable polyamides, we at Domo can only gain by making the supply chain more transparent. By tracking our materials, we will make a huge step ahead in supporting the automotive industry in its sustainability challenges. Besides providing recycled solutions from current sources we also aim to enlarge this loop and find new raw materials for our products to meet the mobility needs of today and tomorrow.”

However, the companies cannot simply create a digital twin. First, the batch of materials needs to be audited by an independent third party to verify that the material and related claims are true. “Verification is essential. Even with a supply chain involving blockchains we want independent auditors for our system. And this is how we gain the trust and confidence of all our value chain members. Several years from now, after these systems are in place on a wider scale, things will have been standardized. For now, it’s still early days. Auditors and certifications are essential to ensure that no one can engage in greenwashing. But we really need to pick up the pace as we keep moving towards more circularity,” says Christopher McArdle, Borealis Vice President Polyolefin Strategy and New Business Development.

Once the materials are digitized, the parties along the supply chain can now update the digital twin mimicking the physical supply chain and reflecting the manufacturing processes along the lifecycle of the product. Due to Circularise’s “Smart Questioning” technology this process can happen while preserving everyone’s privacy regarding their identity and business relations and protecting confidential information.

Burkhard Zimmermann, Head of Resin, Digital Transformation & Sustainability at ����AV’s Polycarbonates segment: “For us, it is really important to share information and be more transparent while maintaining confidentiality. For instance, the material composition is of competitive advantage so we would never share that openly. Here, Circularise helps us to maintain this confidentiality and only disclose the information needed from raw material producer to recycler. And with that, we can close the loop.”

Not only this approach helps car manufacturers to make better decisions for the next generations of vehicles and support end-of-life recycling approaches, it also helps final consumers to learn more about their vehicle and its origins, enabling them to make more sustainable choices. Ultimately reducing the environmental impact across the whole value chain.

In the context of the EU Plastics Strategy, the European Commission has launched a pledge to increase the use of recycled content to 10 million tons by 2025. To address this, Circularise Plastics Group launched an “Open Standard for Sustainability and Transparency” based on blockchain technology & Zero-knowledge Proofs. While EuPC set up a tool to collect the use of recyclates by converters, against their production.

The tool is called MORE, Monitoring Recyclates for Europe. MORE is meant to ensure that faithful and consistent collection, through a common approach, on the use of recyclates is achieved by converters that will feed the surveys contained in MORE. The volumes reported in MORE are steadily growing every month and new plastic converting companies will join the system in the years to come.

“With the development of the MORE platform, EuPC emphasised the importance of creating an efficient infrastructure for monitoring the flow of data about the use of recycled plastics. We are happy to support its development with our technology and are looking forward to this collaboration”, says Jordi de Vos, Circularise’s co-founder. 

The EuPC strategy aligns with the Circularise’s mission to enable transparency of material flows while safeguarding data privacy and confidentiality. As a part of the broader objective of this collaboration, Signatories specifically aim to facilitate the development of a digital platform to monitor the rate of plastics recycling activities in Europe and test how the “Open Standard for Sustainability and Transparency” can be applied for this. 

“With the rise of new technologies, such as blockchain, we look to incorporate them in our monitoring system to ensure that the MORE platform is future-proof. Circularise has the technology and vision that aligns with ours and we look forward to cooperating on the development of the recyclates monitoring system”, says EuPC Managing Director Alexandre Dangis.

The organisations behind this cooperation acknowledge that it is an important element of a broader scope to create a standard for the industry: a secure, open-source, shared data exchange system for the global value chains to enable traceability of materials throughout the lifecycle across all stakeholders and value-chains.

“Increased recycling starts with the correct monitoring and reporting practices. We believe that the Open Standard for Sustainability and Transparency can enable that and help the plastics industry transition towards a more circular economy”, says Thomas Nuyts, Director of Global Product Management at Domo Chemicals.

“The collaboration between Circularise Plastics group and EuPC has the potential to provide a remote yet detailed monitoring and audit opportunity for companies. The system could enable a more trustworthy and less expensive way to become and remain qualified, while providing the necessary speed and flexibility”, says Dr. Burkhard Zimmermann, Head of Resin, Digital Transformation & Sustainability, ����AV Polycarbonates.

EuPC, Circularise, ����AV and Domo Chemicals aim to bring together stakeholders that can contribute to the development of the MORE and Circularise platforms. In the context of this cooperation they aim to test a prototype with a list of target companies in the coming months.

The car interior will develop into a multifunctional living and working space. "This will result in completely new user expectations of the materials used," explains Jochen Hardt, who heads Global Marketing Mobility at ����AV, in a plenary lecture on the first day of the congress. ����AV presented a premium interior concept for this at the K 2019 plastics trade fair. The prototype developed together with partners will also be shown at the VDI Congress.

Multifunctional interior

"At the same time, the concept offers new opportunities for differentiation for the automotive industry," says Jochen Hardt, who is also a member of the expert committee for the VDI Congress. The comprehensive approach is equally concerned with functionality, comfort and design, but also with efficiency and light weighting. Highlights include multi-sensory infotainment systems, innovative seating concepts, smart surfaces and personalized lighting.

Of particular importance is a continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite material which ����AV offers under the name Maezio^®. It is extremely robust and lightweight and offers a great deal of design freedom. In the interior it is used in the seat shells and in a new space-saving table concept. The material also proves its versatility in the recently published compendium "Car Design Review 7", whose cover is made of CFRTP material. It is a leading resource for car designers worldwide and also includes an interview with Jochen Hardt on the interior concept.

New safety concept for the battery

A lithium-ion battery is the heart of the electric and hybrid car of the future. In its design, it is not only a question of high performance, which largely determines the range of the vehicle, but also of the greatest possible safety, for example in the event of an accident: On impact, the battery modules or cells could be damaged or cracked and possibly overheat or even catch fire.

����AV has recognized this danger and developed a new concept for a battery housing based on the Baydur^® PUL polyurethane system in combination with pultrusion technology. This is a continuous process for the efficient production of fiber-reinforced plastic parts.

In a presentation on the first day of the congress, Galen Greene will report on the special mechanical stability of this material combined with its low weight. "We would like to make our contribution to making electromobility safer, more economical and therefore more attractive with such developments and the associated tests," the ����AV battery expert explains. "To this end, we are also seeking partners for the further optimization of this promising battery concept."

In focus: plastic recyclates in cars

Jochen Hardt is also a panelist in a discussion on the subject of “Recyclates – opportunities and general conditions for the use of plastics in the vehicle of the future" on the first day of the congress. ����AV is strongly committed to the recycling of plastics and the use of alternative raw materials. With a long-term program, the company wants to focus strongly on the circular economy and to be a shaping force for the plastics industry. The company is also showing developments on these topics at its virtual trade fair stand.

����AV has been using bio-based raw materials and CO₂ in production for years. Recently, a strategic cooperation was also agreed with the Finnish chemical company Neste on the supply of material from renewable sources. It is intended to replace an important part of the fossil raw materials previously used for the production of polycarbonates.

����AV is currently working with partners to develop innovative technologies for recycling plastics. The company is also a member of the Circularize Plastics project group. Its aim is to establish a new standard for the traceability of plastics back to the raw material to facilitate effective recycling.

“We’ve seen very positive progress in our collaboration with Tongji University in the academy during the past year. Together we have launched projects that will drive the industry and entire economy towards more sustainability and in particular promote the transition to a Circular Economy, also on a global scale,” says Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of ����AV, on the occasion of the yearly Academy meeting via digital conferencing. “In China, we are always committed to open innovation, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to advance all these initiatives.”

For example, the joint Academy has been exploring battery thermal management systems for EV cars and energy storage, which will be important to become more cost competitive in the course of lowered CO2 emissions. Other projects included the development of new materials for next generation of lithium-ion batteries, and exploring 3D-printing-enabled structures for absorbing striking energy in order to improve the safety performance of the EV battery. Elsewhere, the academy is also studying flexible sensors materials for robot skin applications, as bionic robots are set to provide indispensable support for an aging population in China.

For this year, a circular economy-themed students competition in China will add to the Academy’s calendar in order to encourage further efforts in sustainability. The competition will target the reuse of polyurethane foams from mattresses, and students are encouraged to unleash their creativity in business and technology study to work out innovative ideas, while getting support from experts at ����AV and Tongji University. The winning plan may be supported as a practical project in 2021 at the ����AV-Tongji Innovation Academy.

Prof. Dr. Wu Jiang, Executive Vice President of Tongji University adds, “We are excited to see our cooperation with ����AV, a leading materials company, to make strong progress in the emerging fields that will help foster sustainability in the future. Our alliance is a great example of industry-academia collaboration, and we are fully confident that the academy will step up transforming great ideas into real innovations and business models to be widely used in downstream enterprises.”

“We see open innovation as key to our success, which includes exchanges and collaborations along the value chain. I am glad to see solid progress and achievements in market-driven innovation, digitalization and sustainability from the Academy to drive the transformation of creativity into promising business models,” says Dr. Michael Schmidt, dean of the Academy and Head of Innovation for the Asia-Pacific region at ����AV. “We are on track to form a powerful industry-academia ecosystem with complementing capabilities to further empower our business, industry and economy in the future.”

The ceremony was attended by more than 350 participants, including Frans Timmermans as First Vice-President of the EU Commission and Elżbieta Bieńkowska , the Commissioner responsible, among other things, for the single market and industry.

Promotion of the circular economy

“High-quality plastics are practically indispensable in our age - for renewable energies, for example, in electronics and medical technology, for transport and construction. After they have been used, they must be recycled in the sense of closed-loop recycling and must thus be put to new uses,” explained Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of ����AV. “The transformation from linear to circular systems, however, can only be achieved with the support of many partners from different sectors. The foundation of the Circular Plastics Alliance is an important step in this direction. Europe can provide impetus here worldwide.”

As one of the world’s leading materials manufacturers, ����AV wants to help in the new alliance, among other things, to design plastics from the outset in such a way that they are ultimately easily recyclable. In addition, the company can contribute its high level of research competence and innovative strength - for example to promote the development of chemical recycling, i.e. the conversion of used plastic into its molecules. ����AV also wants to give impetus to making the collection and sorting of waste as efficient as possible. The alliance is committed to ensuring that plastic waste no longer ends up in the environment and landfills, but is properly recovered and re-used.

����AV has already been an active member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a worldwide network of companies dedicated to reducing waste in the aquatic environment, since early 2019. The initiative comprises nearly 40 companies from the chemical, plastics, consumer goods and waste management sectors. Over the next five years, these companies intend to provide around 1.5 billion dollars for the cleaning of rivers, the development of new recycling technologies and the sensitization of society to plastic waste.

About ����AV:

With 2018 sales of EUR 14.6 billion, ����AV is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. ����AV has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,800 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2018.

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Forward-looking statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by ����AV. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in ����AV’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.