Sustainability : LANXESS launches sustainable high-performance plastic
In the manufacture of plastics, LANXESS is increasingly turning to “circular” and bio-based raw materials. The specialty chemicals company’s latest product is Durethan BLUEBKV60H2.0EF. 92% percent of the raw materials used in this easy-flowing compound have been replaced with sustainable alternatives.
The new plastic grade is the first product from LANXESS in the new “Scopeblue” series. The brand label identifies products that either consist of at least 50 percent circular (recycled or biobased) raw materials, or whose carbon footprint is at least 50 percent lower than that of conventional products.
Mission to use 100% sustainable raw materials
One of the raw materials used in the production of this polyamide-6-based high-performance plastic is cyclohexane from sustainable sources – meaning cyclohexane that is either bio-based, recycled bio-based or produced by means of chemical recycling. The material is also strengthened with 60% by weight of glass fibers comprising industrial glass waste instead of mineral raw materials.
Developers are setting their sights on more than 92% sustainable raw materials. “We’re currently working on increasing the content of sustainable raw materials in this compound to 100%,” says Dr. Guenter Margraf, Head of Global Product Management at HPM. This requires ammonia synthesized with carbon-neutral hydrogen. Over the medium term, the specialty chemicals company is also planning to replace the additives used in its plastics with sustainable equivalents.
In response to major customer demand, the sustainable product family has been extended over the past few months to include even more compounds based on polyamide 6 and 66.
Independent certification of sustainability in the supply chain
The sustainable origin of the raw materials is certified to ISCC Plus (“International Sustainability and Carbon Certification”). This applies to not only the LANXESS production sites in Antwerp and Krefeld-Uerdingen but also all precursors originating exclusively from suppliers that are also ISCC Plus-certified.
ISCC is a standard that was developed for purposes including assessing the sustainability requirements of the EU RED (EU Renewable Energies Directive) and is increasingly being used worldwide in the chemical industry too. LANXESS is a member of the ISCC Association and plays an active role in further developing the sustainability certification.