Partnership agreement with leading compounder and polymer distributor in the UK

Hellyar Plastics to bring Lignin Industries innovative bio-based plastic to new markets, as well as scale the commercialisation of its patented technology

© Lignin Industries

Swedish greentech company Lignin Industries AB has signed a partnership agreement with the UK’s leading independent compounder and distributor of polymers, Whitstable-based Hellyar Plastics, to bring its innovative bio-based plastic to new markets, as well as scale the commercialisation of Lignin Industries’ patented technology.

Lignin Industries has developed a means of ending the plastic industry’s reliance on fossil fuel-based plastics: incorporating lignin, the second most abundant organic material on Earth (found in all plants, e.g. trees), within truly sustainable, recyclable bio-based plastic. Going public following five years of R&D, Lignin Industries has created Renol®, a patented bio-based material developed from the lignin.

As a feedstock for bio-based materials, lignin is perfectly suited; it is considered a secondary material, as it is non-competing with food production. Lignin Industries sources its lignin from the forestry and agriculture industries, where its remarkable scalability is currently not utilised, as more than 700 million tons of lignin is routinely incinerated or otherwise discarded or used for low value applications per year. When incorporated within plastics, the life cycle and value chain of lignin is extended, and it delivers emission reductions.

Lignin Industries will benefit from Hellyar’s role as both a compounder and a distributor, tapping into Hellyar’s decades of experience and deep network. At their Whitstable factory, Hellyar has incorporated Renol® within Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polypropylene (PP) applications. Hellyar customers have products containing Renol® in advanced development stage for sectors such as domestic goods and construction, which are due to launch shortly.

Hellyar and Lignin Industries are already exploring additional sectors to launch, including the automotive industry. Hellyar and Lignin Industries have been working together for 18 months. Customers of Hellyar have been receptive to the new product and its remarkable market potential as a bio-based solution that will lower emissions, as well as Renol® being fully recyclable in open recycling streams. Additional Renol® key differentiators include flexibility in terms of blend percentages; the processability and consistency at temperatures allowing for shorter cycle times when injection moulded; and the ability to perform repeat processes, at-scale, to high standards.

Lignin Industries AB CEO Fredrik Malmfors: “Lignin Industries is re-shaping the future of plastics through the power of lignin – all without the industry needing to invest in new ways of working. The infrastructure exists already to deploy Renol® at-scale: it works within existing processes and pathways with great potential to mass commercialisation. A crucial element of coming out of stealth and accelerating this journey is finding the right partners who share our passion for reducing emissions and who want to contribute to bringing our patented technology to market. Hellyar’s dual role as both compounder and distributor means we can tap into their deep network and let their customers test Renol® within their products before launching to market.”

Hellyar Plastics Chairman David Hellyar: “ Since our founding almost 70 years ago, Hellyar Plastics has sought out innovative solutions to bring value for our customers. We have been working with Lignin Industries for 18 months already, researching the technology and testing market applications. We have been particularly impressed by Renol® repeatedly performing to the exceptional high standards required by the industry. As our first customers are poised to bring products to the market which incorporate Lignin Industries’ patented technology, we expect the wider industry to recognise Renol®’s place in the market, as a scientifically backed means of reducing emissions, while meeting the industry’s rigorous standards. Hellyar is very excited for our shared future with Lignin Industries, and how the industry will benefit from the mass commercialisation of the technology.”

About Lignin Industries

With a history of five generations of pioneers within the forest industry, Lignin Industries AB was founded in Sweden in 2018. The technology originates from the intersection of the academic work of company founder Dr Christopher Carrick and his deep family history with the European forestry industry. By using green chemistry to upcycle residual materials from the forest industry and with a vision to reshape the future of plastics, Lignin Industries has developed a patented technology transforming lignin into a renewable, high-performance biobased thermoplastic, replacing traditional fossil plastics. Possible applications are polyethylene films, propylene moulds and ABS moulds among others. Lignin Industries’ first production plant and primary office is in Knivsta, in the Stockholm area.

About Hellyar Plastics

For almost 70 years, Hellyar has been the UK’s leading independent compounder and distributor of polymers. Working from two sites in the UK and Poland, Hellyar serves manufacturers, converters, OEMs, injection moulders and other companies across multiple markets and territories around the globe.

Author

Kerstin Lagerlöf

Source

Lignin Industries, press release, 2024-12-04.

Supplier

Hellyar Plastics
Lignin Industries AB

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