Materials manufacturer Covestro and the environmental service provider Interseroh, a company of ALBA Group, intend to cooperate in the field of innovative recycling of plastic waste. This includes resistant plastic products made from Covestro materials, such as polyurethanes and polycarbonates. Therefore, the two partners have recently signed a memorandum of understanding.
For this reason, Interseroh intends to source and prepare the relevant materials derived from the end-of-life products and distribute them to Covestro for re-integration into the raw materials cycle; Covestro intends to use these end-of-life raw materials as feedstock leveraging their reycling expertise to turn plastic waste into high quality raw materials so as to close the loop.
“Our cooperation with Interseroh is an important milestone for the convergence of the chemical and recycling industries with the aim of building new value cycles for the circular economy,” says Covestro CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann. “The success of the project will largely depend on our partner’s recycling know-how and innovative recycling technologies that we are currently developing, but also on suitable regulatory framework conditions, especially for chemical recycling.”
“Technological development and innovation are essential pillars of our work towards a future without waste,” states Dr. Axel Schweitzer, CEO of ALBA Group. “In the light of the climate protection targets to be achieved, we must also find sustainable solutions for types of plastic that are difficult to recycle. We are pleased to be able to help shape developments here together with Covestro.”
Plastic waste is a valuable resource
Plastics are indispensable and future-oriented materials. Thus, used products are also a valuable resource. That’s why Covestro is working with partners to develop innovative recycling technologies and chemical processes in particular, to return plastics to the value cycle. The company is much committed to recovering used plastics and is also a member of the global company network “Alliance to End Plastic Waste.”
However, much more needs to be done to achieve an effective and resource-efficient circular economy. For example, disposal and recycling systems must be improved worldwide or established in the first place. Here, Interseroh is a leading partner with many years of experience and extensive know-how. Both companies want to reduce the CO₂ footprint of production processes and products and thus contribute to climate and environmental protection. At the same time, they want to develop new circular business models.
About Interseroh
Interseroh, a company of ALBA Group, is one of the leading environmental service providers to close the product, material and logistics cycles. Starting next year, Interseroh is launching a new dual system and a new concept. The offer of the newly founded Interseroh+ GmbH is aimed at all companies that not only want to fulfill their legal obligation to license packaging, but also want to take responsibility themselves for closing recycling and raw material cycles. If desired, they can join the start-up as silent partners.
The ALBA Group is active in Germany and Europe as well as in Asia with its two brands ALBA and Interseroh. In 2020, its business units generated sales of 1.9 billion euros and employed a total of around 8,700 employees*. This makes the ALBA Group one of the leading recycling and environmental service providers as well as raw material suppliers worldwide. ALBA Group’s recycling activities saved more than 4.2 million tons of greenhouse gases compared to primary production and 32.3 million tons of primary raw materials in 2019 alone.
About Covestro
With 2020 sales of EUR 10.7 billion, Covestro is among the world’s leading polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative, sustainable solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. In doing so, Covestro is fully committed to the circular economy. The main industries served are the automotive and transportation industries, construction, furniture and wood processing, as well as electrical, electronics, and household appliances industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. At the end of 2020, Covestro has 33 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,500 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).
Source
Covestro, press release, 2021-10-04.
Supplier
Share
Renewable Carbon News – Daily Newsletter
Subscribe to our daily email newsletter – the world's leading newsletter on renewable materials and chemicals
