ÃÜÌÒAV uses natural gas as a feedstock as well as an energy source. The partnership will enable the supply of natural gas sourced from INEOS¡¯ global LNG portfolio, providing a stable and predictable feedstock and energy stream for ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s European operations. This strategic collaboration addresses the critical need for secure and diversified energy sources in Europe.

David Bucknall CEO, INEOS Energy said: ¡°Our goal is to supply customers with vital energy throughout the energy transition, not just at the end. That means maintaining competitive hydrocarbon supplies as alternatives emerge and grow. This long-term LNG deal with ÃÜÌÒAV does exactly that, providing reliable, cost-effective energy to help our industrial partners manage volatility and avoid shortages."

Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer of ÃÜÌÒAV, added, "Securing a stable, competitive and predictable gas supply is essential for our operations right now. This agreement with INEOS provides us with the long-term security we need to maintain our production and contribute to the European economy. We value INEOS' commitment to supporting European industry and their proactive approach to addressing the region's energy challenges. This contract is an important building block for us as a company in the energy intensive industry to transition towards an affordable renewable energy supply."

This agreement reinforces the shared goal of both companies to maintain a strong and competitive industrial base in Europe. By ensuring a reliable gas supply, INEOS and ÃÜÌÒAV are taking real, tangible steps to secure the future of their European manufacturing assets.

INEOS first entered the LNG sector in June 2022, signing a 20-year agreement with US-based Sempra Infrastructure to supply 1.4 million tonnes of LNG annually from the US Gulf Coast.

Desmopan? FLY features an advanced formulation that enables superior supercritical fluid dispersion during the molding process, resulting in uniform fine-cell structured foams with outstanding mechanical properties. For footwear applications, this translates into midsoles with superior cushioning and energy return properties, and long-lasting comfort performance. The absence of chemical blowing agents and crosslinking additives ensures recyclability of the midsole; when combined with soft TPU outsole, the whole sole system supports circular economy initiatives.

¡°Leading sports brands are driving unprecedented demand for materials that combine elite performance with strong environmental credentials,¡± says Wilson Chan, Head of Business Development TPU Asia Pacific at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°Desmopan? FLY brings exceptional lightweight and resilience properties while maintaining dimensional stability and durability throughout the product lifecycle. Its optimized processing enables efficient production through automated injection molding, allowing brands to create high-performance, recyclable footwear that meets demanding consumer expectations.¡±

In a pioneering industry move, ÃÜÌÒAV has installed the advanced SCF injection foaming system at its TPU Asia-Pacific R&D Center in Taiwan. This state-of-the-art facility enables ÃÜÌÒAV to provide comprehensive R&D support and rapid application services for customers¡¯ specific requirements, demonstrating ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s ongoing commitment to advancing footwear material solutions and supporting the industry¡¯s evolution.

¡°Our investment in the SCF injection foaming system marks another milestone in ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s continuous innovation journey,¡± explains Dr. Christian Haessler, Head of Global Innovation TPU at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°This in-house capability enables us to optimize TPU material properties with precise SCF processing parameters. By being among the first in the industry to integrate this advanced technology within our R&D center, we can effectively combine TPU material and SCF injection expertise to accelerate customers¡¯ development from concepts to commercial production.¡±

The combination of SCF foaming technology and Desmopan? FLY delivers an energy-efficient manufacturing process that reduces the overall carbon footprint. The automated injection process integrates multiple components in a single step, enabling substantial production efficiency while maintaining consistent, high-quality output.

Desmopan? FLY is now commercially available, supported by ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s comprehensive technical expertise and advanced in-house facilities. This integrated material and technology platform empowers sports brands in their journey toward advanced footwear solutions, combining performance, sustainability and production efficiency.

"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 ÃÜÌÒAV. "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, ÃÜÌÒAV 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, ÃÜÌÒAV 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.

ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯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, ÃÜÌÒAV 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.

"The new production facilities are equipped with state-of-the technology to enable an efficient production and thereby reduce our CO₂ emissions," says Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer of ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°With the expanded capacity, we can meet our customers' growing demand for innovative specialty films, especially in medical technology, in the region Asia-Pacific and strengthen our Solutions & Specialties segment."

ÃÜÌÒAV has been operating a production facility for Specialty Films in Thailand since 2007. The range comprises polycarbonate films from the Makrofol^? range and Bayfol^? products made from polycarbonate blends. These high-performance specialty films are used in many applications across multiple industries, such as healthcare, mobility and Identification Documents.

¡°The new production facilities are important to us because it enables faster time to market and at the same time expands our market access in Asia-Pacific.¡± says Aukje Doornbos, Global Head of the Specialty Films business entity. ¡°With market-focused innovations and a stronger customer orientation we want to drive growth for ÃÜÌÒAV.¡±

Since 2022, the Map Ta Phut site is ISCC PLUS certified, enabling it to manufacture and supply mass-balanced products. With the mass balance approach, bio-based or recycled raw materials are fed in at an early stage of raw material extraction and mathematically allocated to the finished products. This saves fossil raw materials and reduces CO₂ emissions, while the quality of the mass-balanced products remains identical to that of purely fossil-based products. With this drop-in solution, manufacturers can continue to use their proven formulations, equipment, and processes.

ISCC is an internationally recognized sustainability certification for biomass and bioenergy. The standard covers all stages of the value chain and is used worldwide. Customers can use these products in their established processes and apply them to meet their sustainability goals. In addition, ÃÜÌÒAV already offers a range of films made partly with plant-based raw materials or partly from recycled plastics.

In response to the growing demand for sustainable solutions in currency printing, ÃÜÌÒAV 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 ÃÜÌÒAV.

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 ÃÜÌÒAV at Intergraf Currency + Identity 2025 

ÃÜÌÒAV 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.

Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer of ÃÜÌÒAV, celebrated the anniversary at the birthplace of Vulkollan^? in the Leverkusen production site: "Vulkollan^? exemplifies ÃÜÌÒAV's commitment to innovation in our solutions and specialty segment. As the inventor of polyurethanes, we continue to develop cutting-edge solutions that drive value for our customers. We are also guiding Vulkollan^? and its outstanding performance on a journey towards circularity, ensuring it not only meets industry demands but also becomes an integral part of a more sustainable future."

Made for the sustainable future

Generations of passionate chemists and engineers have driven this success and remain committed to taking Vulkollan^? to new heights. The dedication to innovation is matched by continuous investments in global production assets for Vulkollan^? raw materials. Recent examples include expansions in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, and Barcelona, Spain.

In 2024, ÃÜÌÒAV took a significant step towards sustainability by announcing an investment in a pilot-plant for the chemical recycling of end-of-life Vulkollan^? parts located in Leverkusen. This initiative opens the door to a more sustainable future, reinforcing the company¡¯s commitment to environmental responsibility while maintaining the material's exceptional performance.

Enabler of extreme performance in logistics and production

Over the years, ÃÜÌÒAV has continuously expanded Vulkollan^?'s applications to meet evolving customer needs. Today, this versatile material excels in a wide range of critical uses like heavy-duty wheels and rollers for material handling equipment including automated guided vehicles (AGVs), advanced technical components for industrial machinery, shock-absorbing bumper elements and automotive noise and vibration control systems.

The widespread adoption of Vulkollan^? in these demanding applications stands as a testament to its superior properties. Even under extreme stress, Vulkollan^? consistently delivers optimal performance, enabling our customers to push the boundaries of what's possible in their respective fields.

Customer Partnerships: The Foundation of Success

"At ÃÜÌÒAV, global supply security of quality raw materials for Vulkollan^? has top priority to allow our customers to grow with the Vulkollan^? technology," says Thomas Braig, Head of the Business Entity Elastomers at ÃÜÌÒAV. "This goes hand in hand with developing the performance further and innovating jointly with our customers worldwide."

Customer cooperation is as integral to Vulkollan^?'s history as its exceptional performance. Strong and lasting partnerships have shaped Vulkollan^? into what it is today. Many of the customers celebrate 40, 50, or even more years of collaboration with ÃÜÌÒAV through licensed cooperation, a testament to the trust and success ÃÜÌÒAV and them have built together. Vulkollan^? has become the industry standard not just through innovation, but also through these deep-rooted relationships.

History of performance and versatility

The story of Vulkollan^? began in February 1950, with the publication of a groundbreaking article in a German leading chemical magazine ¡°Angewandte Chemie¡±. Co-authored by Otto Bayer, the inventor of polyurethanes, this publication marked the birth of a material that would redefine performance in demanding applications across various industries.

Vulkollan^? quickly established itself as the premier material for industries demanding exceptional durability and performance, thanks to its outstanding properties such as high tensile strength, excellent tear resistance, low abrasion, and exceptional dynamic load-bearing capacity.

Innovation has always been at the heart of Vulkollan^?'s success. A major breakthrough came with the introduction of Vulkollan^? prepolymers, representing a significant process advancement for the customers. This innovation simplified the molding of Vulkollan^? parts, enhancing efficiency and reducing investment requirements for the partners working with this unique material.

The jubilee of Vulkollan^? is celebrated in all productions sites around the globe and can be followed on social media.

The competition, which will be contested by university undergraduates from the UK and Ireland, is asking students to design a product, made primarily from plastics, which will promote or monitor either physical or mental health.

Chairman of DIP, Martin Sixsmith, said that with increased focus on the self-care agenda, the 2025 theme offers an exciting opportunity for creating a product which can seamlessly integrate into daily life and which can help all age groups.

¡°This is a subject which resonates with many people and it therefore offers a huge amount of scope for students to showcase their creative talents for the benefit of others,¡° he said. ¡°We are very much looking forward to seeing their end product!¡°

Students will need to submit their entries by March 14, when DIP¡¯s panel of industry judges will whittle the submissions down to a final six. Final judging will take place in London on May 9, with the award ceremony on June 20.

Design Innovation in Plastics is the longest running plastics competition of its kind in Europe, having been established in 1985. It is supported by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, the Worshipful ÃÜÌÒAV of Horners and sponsored by leading design and plastics organisations, including ÃÜÌÒAV.

Notes to editors 

1. Established in 1985, Design Innovation in Plastics is the longest running student plastics design award in Europe. For more information visit .

2. The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a major UK engineering institution and is the professional body for the advancement of materials, minerals and mining to governments, industry, academia, the public and the professions. For more information visit .

3. The Worshipful ÃÜÌÒAV of Horners is one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London, formed to regulate the horn-working trade. In 1943 it adopted its modern equivalent, the plastics industry. For more information visit .

4. Headline industry sponsor ¨C ÃÜÌÒAV

"This investment in our U.S. compounding plant is an important component of our 'Sustainable Growth' strategy. With this expansion, we can meet our customers' growing demand for specialized polycarbonate materials, grow together with our customers, and strengthen our position as a leading provider of polycarbonate materials in North America," says CTO Thorsten Dreier. "The move also aligns with our strategy to produce in the region for the region, to manufacture close to our customers and ensure reliable supply."

The capacity expansion is an important step to meet the growing demand for high-quality materials for the automotive, electronics, and healthcare industries in North America. "To be successful in these markets, you need the right portfolio, consistent quality, and supply reliability, as well as solution-oriented technical expertise,¡± says Lily Wang, head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity. "The expanded production capacity for differentiated polycarbonates enables us to better serve our customers' complex needs for high-quality, high-tech materials with individualized properties.¡±

ÃÜÌÒAV already has an established R&D center in Pittsburgh and is now doubling down on its U.S.-based compounding capability. In the future, both facilities will work even more closely together to drive the technology transfer from lab to industrial production to support major transformation processes, such as the electrification and automation of mobility, sustainable developments and digitalization.

¡°This investment, which follows our recent announcement of an almost 40 million Euro investment in our R&D capabilities in Pittsburgh, underscores how critical our U.S. sites and the U.S. market are to ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s global strategy,¡± says Samir Hifri, chairman and president of ÃÜÌÒAV LLC. ¡°The expanded capacity of our polycarbonate compounding capabilities in Ohio will both help us better supply our customers as well as represent a commitment to our employees at the site, the Hebron, Ohio community, and the U.S. market as a whole.¡±

Construction of the new production lines is scheduled to begin in 2025, with operations starting by the end of 2026.

Hanno Bruemmer, Head of Supply Chain and Logistics EMLA at ÃÜÌÒAV, stated: ¡°The entire value chain must be involved to achieve our joint goal of climate neutrality by 2050. Reliable, efficient and sustainable logistics for our ever more sustainable products are integral to this effort. We collaborate with our customers and transport companies to optimize the supply chain. This includes improving load capacity, selecting the best transport modes and routes, and introducing using sustainable and future-oriented energy sources like green electricity or HVO to replace fossil fuels.¡±

As part of the collaboration, DB Cargo BTT provides ÃÜÌÒAV with an end-to-end transport solution that combines several sustainable approaches: First, the chemicals are transported in tank containers from the production sites of ÃÜÌÒAV in Germany to a nearby railway terminal using bio-fuel (HVO 100)-driven trucks. The tank containers are then transported to a distribution center in Poland via rail, keeping trucks off the road and saving respective emissions. From there, bio-fuel (HVO 100)-driven trucks are again deployed to distribute the chemicals to end customers in Poland to ensure on-time delivery. This particular bio-fuel is one of the most sustainable alternatives to fossil diesel. Altogether, the combination of these modes of transport saves at least 70% of CO₂ emissions compared to conventional road transport methods.

Torsten L¨¹ders, Managing Director of DB Cargo BTT GmbH, points out: ¡°At DB Cargo BTT, we also rely on working with external partners across all modes of transport in order to arrange traction or first and last mile services as efficiently as possible for our customers. For ÃÜÌÒAV, we have recently transported essential chemical products to Poland and we¡¯re now happy to combine our rail expertise with bio-fuel-driven trucks for the first and last mile. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to enabling more sustainable supply chains and supporting the transformation of the chemical industry. Projects like these demonstrate how we, as part of the DB Cargo group, offer our customers a significant degree of added value and are an essential part of European supply chains.¡±

The collaboration is designed to be flexibly scaled in the future to accommodate growing business needs. It also sends an important signal to customers of ÃÜÌÒAV, such as the Polish Selena Group, a global manufacturer of construction chemicals and materials, who benefit from the delivery of MDI with a lower carbon footprint, as it helps to reduce their Scope 3 emissions.

Bernd Hennig, Head of Trading Cluster MDI at ÃÜÌÒAV remarked: ¡°Together with Selena Group, we are committed to advancing sustainable solutions across the entire value chain, offering our valued customers not only more sustainable materials but also sustainable transportation solutions.¡± Michal Specjalski, Member of the Management Board of Product and Innovation at Selena Group added: ¡°Today, sustainable business no longer means having to compromise between efficiency and quality. In Selena Group we are constantly increasing our commitment to the development of sustainable construction. We carefully follow trends and changes in the world around us. We are constantly working on minimizing our environmental impact and rational resource management. That¡¯s why we are delighted to have ÃÜÌÒAV and DB Cargo BTT at our side as strong partners who share our commitment to reducing emissions and achieving climate neutrality targets in Europe and worldwide.¡±

Selena Group and ÃÜÌÒAV are already collaborating in multiple ways to advance the circular economy. For instance, they are developing polyurethane (PU) foams for improved thermal insulation in buildings which are based on MDI of the Desmodur^? CQ product range. It is ISCC Plus-certified, using plant-based raw materials through mass balancing. As a result, these products have a lower carbon footprint compared to those derived from fossil raw materials¡ªand now, thanks to the transport solution, they will also be delivered to Selena in a more sustainable way.

¹ _{The reduction in CO? emissions is based on a comparison between the use of HVO100 renewable diesel and conventional fossil diesel}

ÃÜÌÒAV is one of eight companies, including partners from the fields of AI, information technology for low-altitude aviation and carbon fiber composite materials, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with GOVY, a newly established subsidiary of GAC dedicated to the development of eVTOL aircraft. As a key partner in this ambitious project, ÃÜÌÒAV brings its unique expertise in high-performance materials and sustainable solutions for the advancement of next-generation flying cars.

¡°Our collaboration with GAC represents a significant step forward in transforming urban air mobility. By leveraging ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s expertise in sustainable and innovative materials, and GAC¡¯s visionary leadership in flying car development, we are poised to create solutions that redefine the possibilities of urban transport,¡± said Lily Wang, President of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at ÃÜÌÒAV.

¡°We are committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation and bringing the future of mobility closer to reality,¡± said Su Qingpeng, General Manager of GOVY. ¡°Partnering with ÃÜÌÒAV and other industry leaders allows us to accelerate the development of our flying cars, creating safe, more sustainable, and groundbreaking transportation solutions for urban environments.¡±

China is making significant strides in the development of eVTOL aircraft, leveraging its advancements in battery technology to integrate these innovations into urban transportation systems. This strategic focus is driven by the potential of eVTOL vehicles to alleviate urban congestion, reduce pollution, and enhance connectivity, aligning with consumer desires for efficient transportation and the government¡¯s goals for technological innovation and sustainable urban development. These vehicles are designed for short-distance urban travel, with current models offering ranges suitable for inter-city commutes.

Under the agreement, ÃÜÌÒAV and GOVY will collaborate on several priority areas. Key initiatives will include developing innovative polycarbonate glazing solutions to reduce vehicle weight while maintaining high performance and safety standards, and exploring materials for smart and efficient lighting systems tailored to the unique requirements of eVTOL aircraft. The collaboration will also address high-performance materials that enable seamless integration of smart systems and components. A strong emphasis will be placed on low-carbon solutions, utilizing materials with attributed bio-circular content and recycled feedstocks to reduce emissions across the vehicles¡¯ lifecycle.

At the signing ceremony, a demo flying car was unveiled, featuring an impressive range of 200 kilometers in just 40 minutes. This prototype showcases a hybrid design that integrates both fixed-wing and rotary-wing capabilities, combining the efficiency of conventional airplane-like forward flight with the vertical takeoff and landing versatility of helicopters. Pre-order of such models will begin in 2025, heralding a new era in personal and urban transportation.

These new displays overcome the performance, size and geometric limitations of traditional HUD systems, enabling the practical and scalable implementation of multiple displays in one windshield and elsewhere in side-light glazing. Proof of concepts (PoCs) developed with OEMs will be showcased at CES 2025 in Las Vegas from January 7¨C10.

The MOU builds on years of collaboration, leveraging each company¡¯s technologies to manufacture holographic-enabled transparent HUDs for the automotive market. It enables to look into the steps needed to setup and establish the required facilities and manufacturing capacity, ensuring an efficient, market-ready supply chain to meet the planned production timelines of OEMs wishing to adopt the technology for new driver and passenger experiences. The partnership aims to accelerate the commercialization of the HUD solution, with Eastman leveraging its relationships with automotive OEMs and Tier One suppliers.

A proven solution

In 2024, Ceres and Eastman demonstrated the latest holographic transparent display HUDs to OEMs in Europe, the USA, and China. These HUDs featured multiple transparent displays within a single, fully laminated windshield, each measuring up to 400mm by 300mm. Custom-designed holographic optical elements (HOEs) were incorporated into a single sheet of Bayfol HX^? film, laminated with Eastman¡¯s new developed interlayer stack, achieving the industry's largest field of view.

This achievement was enabled by combining ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s expertise in photopolymer films, Ceres¡¯ digital mastering and HoloFlekt^? roll-to-roll replication system, which produces finished films up to 1400mm wide, and Eastman¡¯s solutions to encapsulate functional films into automotive approved laminates.

¡°This agreement solidifies our collaboration and moves us closer to delivering a full-stack solution for innovative display implementations,¡± said Hemant Dandekar, Eastman's global commercial director of automotive for advanced materials, interlayers. ¡°With the building blocks and relationships in place, we¡¯re excited to define a path to viable holographic transparent displays globally.¡±

¡°Our Bayfol^? HX enables next-generation truly transparent projection displays for windshields while meeting the high automotive safety requirements.¡± said G¨¹nther Walze, Head of Holographic Lightguiding at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°With the necessary establishment of hologram mastering and scalable mass-production replication equipment by Ceres, combined with Eastman¡¯s windshield lamination technology, this innovation is ready for deployment to end customers.¡±

¡°We have been working closely with global OEMs for years and are now at a tipping point for adoption and scaling of this display technology,¡± said Andy Travers, CEO of Ceres Holographics. ¡°This is being driven by a combination of a desire for more safety-oriented and intuitive information display features, pressure from safety regulators to reduce driver distractions, and the accelerated pace of innovation and associated need for differentiation among a new generation of car makers.¡±

This agreement joins the material expertise of ÃÜÌÒAV, Eastman¡¯s interlayer solutions and encapsulation know-how, as well as Ceres capabilities in mastering and high-volume manufacturing technology for the successful commercialization and industrialization of holography in transparent displays for windshields.

A fully functional transparent display windshield demonstrator laminate will be showcased at CES 2025 in both the Eastman/Ceres Holographics demonstration suite at The Venetian Hotel - Murano suite, #3201A, and ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s booth in the North Hall, location #8311.

For the highly competitive construction sector, the product sold by Selena offers clear advantages: It can be used with various types of blocks (ceramic, silicate, ACC) with high accuracy and allows for a higher yield compared to traditional cement mortars. The product also improves construction efficiency by curing twice as fast as traditional cement mortars. Additionally, it can be used in a wide range of operating temperatures from -5 degrees Celsius to +30 degrees Celsius, which helps reduce temperature-induced work stoppages.

¡°Materials play a decisive role for an ever more climate neutral and circular economy¡±, said Bernd Hennig, Head of Trading Cluster MDI EMEA at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°If materials providers early in the value chain join forces for climate neutrality, the impact on end products will be significant. In this spirit, we are therefore very happy to deepen our collaboration with our like-minded partner Selena to help the construction sector bring down emissions and meet its climate neutrality targets in Europe and worldwide.¡±

Buildings are responsible for over one third of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU alone. As about 75% of the buildings in Europe do not meet energy efficiency requirements, the building sector faces a wave of renovations over the coming years. In fact, the EU has just recently updated the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). It states that by 2050, all buildings in the EU should be net-zero emission buildings².

More sustainable adhesive instead of cement

¡°With existing and upcoming climate neutrality regulations for the construction sector, we expect a steeply rising demand for sustainable building materials¡±, said Miroslaw Truchan, Senior Category Development Manager, Selena Group. ¡°With a great partner like ÃÜÌÒAV, we jointly drive innovation in the construction materials industry. We both believe that innovative products can play a vital role in achieving climate neutrality targets and put us ahead of the curve.¡±

The Tytan Professional^? Adhesive for Bricklaying uses Desmodur^? CQ MB of ÃÜÌÒAV, a bio-based MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate), of which the plant-based feedstock is mathematically attributed to the final product via the mass balance approach certified by the ISCC Plus standard.

Tytan Professional^? Adhesive for Bricklaying is the third product launched from the collaboration between Selena and ÃÜÌÒAV. The partnership was deepened in 2023, aimed at collaborating to craft a more sustainable range of polyurethane (PU) foams for enhancing thermal insulation of buildings. Bio-attributed methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) of the Desmodur^? CQ MB-series of ÃÜÌÒAV is already being used in an enhanced version of Selena¡¯s Ultra Fast 70 one-component foam, primarily applied in the . Also, this product is ISSC Plus certified to include plant-based feedstocks through mass balancing and allows for an up to 45% reduced carbon footprint compared to fossil-based products.

_{¹Comparison of 1 can of Tytan Adhesive for Bricklaying (750ml) with the data for generic cement mortar for 1,5 x 25 kg bags.
²}

ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s CERTEVO^? revolutionizes security printing with several key features: It supports excellent printability via intaglio and offset processes, enabling embossing structures¡ªsurpassing 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 ÃÜÌÒAV at TRUSTECH 2024

ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯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, ÃÜÌÒAV 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 ÃÜÌÒAV 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 ÃÜÌÒAV, 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 ÃÜÌÒAV 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 ÃÜÌÒAV 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.

¡°Healthcare manufacturers are increasingly adopting sustainable materials to reduce their carbon footprint, and it is our goal to help customers reach their sustainability ambitions,¡± said Sam Shodi, Head of Specialty Films North America, ÃÜÌÒAV.

According to Shodi, the Makrofol^? polycarbonate film provides the transparency, toughness and sterilization suitability needed for many medical applications an example of which is medical implant packaging. ¡°This advancement meets the demands of our healthcare customers, where sustainable materials are crucial for reducing environmental impact while maintaining high quality and safety standards,¡± he concluded.

With the mass balance approach, bio-based or recycled raw materials are fed in at an early stage of raw material extraction and mathematically allocated to the finished products. This saves fossil raw materials and reduces CO₂ emissions, while the quality of the mass-balanced products remains identical to that of purely fossil-based products. With this drop-in solution, manufacturers can continue to use their proven formulations, equipment and processes.

ISCC is an internationally recognized sustainability certification for biomass and bioenergy. The standard covers all stages of the value chain and is used worldwide. ÃÜÌÒAV has major sites across all regions that are ISCC PLUS certified. Among them are world-scale sites like Baytown, Texas; Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany; Shanghai, China; Map Ta Phut, Thailand; and Antwerp, Belgium.

Customers can discover more about ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s mass balance films and other premium material solutions, including how they support sustainability goals and drive advancements in medical devices, at the upcoming and trade fairs, November 11-14 in D¨¹sseldorf, Germany.

¡°Our products touch everyday life in thousands of applications, from cars to electronics to footwear. To accelerate circularity and sustainability we need to work closely with our customers and partners along the value chain on adopting alternative raw materials, renewable energy sources and recycling technologies¡±, says Dr. Guido Naberfeld, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales and Market Development Mobility at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°We are excited to show some of our latest developments and projects and are eager to engage in discussions about them at this year¡¯s Fakuma.¡±

The Fakuma in Friedrichshafen, Germany, is a leading annual international trade fair for plastics processing. Visitors of the ÃÜÌÒAV booth will discover a set of exhibits ranging from Polycarbonates to Specialty Films to Thermoplastic Polyurethanes, demonstrating how sustainability and performance can go hand in hand across industries.

Key exhibits include an innovative automotive frontend design that combines looks and functionality while also incorporating electronics. The materials used in the concept are Makrolon? and Makrofol?. The same materials can be used to create nearly monomaterial electronic displays, ideal for integration into smart surfaces in kitchens, vehicles and consumer electronics. One demonstrator, featuring in-mold printed elecontric circuits, will be exhibited.

ÃÜÌÒAV's recently announced partnership with Neste and Borealis will also have a spot at the booth. It showcases the closed-loop recycling of old tires into highly transparent polycarbonates that can be used in automotive components, such as car headlamps. This innovation exemplifies circularity in the automotive industry through the Makrolon? RP product range, which uses chemically recycled raw materials, attributed via the mass balance approach.

ÃÜÌÒAV in general aims to become increasingly circular and climate-neutral, with the goal of operational climate neutrality (Scopes 1 and 2) by 2035, and full climate neutrality by 2050. To make products that are advancing toward these goals easily identifiable, ÃÜÌÒAV, besides RE or RP, also uses the ¡°CQ¡± label. CQ stands for ¡°Circular Intelligence¡±. CQ ecompasses, for example, products that contain at least 25% alternative, non-fossil raw materials, either as components or through the mass balance methodology. This helps to reduce their carbon footprint while contributing to circularity. Some of the abovementioned and more products can be seen at Fakuma.

Construction is set to begin in late 2024, with the facility expected to become operational in 2025. The center will be outfitted with advanced equipment to address complex market demands and leverage local resources and networks to streamline talent and administrative management.

¡°Establishing this new application development center in Guangzhou is a strategically important move for us to jointly with our customers leverage on the vibrant Asia-Pacific and especially the Chinese market. The center will also contribute to developing more sustainable TPU solutions, underscoring our dedication to innovation that benefits our esteemed customers and partners,¡± said Dr. Andrea Maier-Richter, EVP and Global Head of TPU at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°Together with the ongoing investment in our largest global TPU production site in Zhuhai, we will soon run two powerful engines in two major cities. This highlights our company¡¯s ongoing commitment to growth and its commitment to the innovative capabilities of TPU in particular.¡±

With the existing regional R&D center in Changhua, the ongoing construction of the largest global TPU production site in Zhuhai and the upcoming APAC application development center in Guangzhou, the collaborative and complementary strengths from the three sites are expected to drive even more powerful regional synergies.

¡°The new application development center in Guangzhou will play an instrumental role in engaging with major TPU industry clusters across China and APAC, particularly in consumer electronics and specialty extrusion applications,¡± said Kevin Ho, Head of Sales & Market Development for TPU in APAC at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°We are not only close to these industry clusters, we are also at the forefront of listening to our customers, partners and the industry value chain. By bolstering our AD capacities, we ever better can sense and meet the nuances and changes and navigate our solutions and services with velocity, agility and customer centricity.¡°

ÃÜÌÒAV is committed to offering sustainable and circular solutions that align with its long-term goals. The Desmopan^? CQ TPU portfolio is a great example, utilizing alternative raw materials such as feedstocks from waste or biomass, attributed via mass balancing. The company as a whole furthermore aims to become fully circular and aims at becoming operationally climate neutrality by 2035, striving to utilize only renewable energy for its operations by then. This lowers the carbon footprint of products like TPU even further. This dedication of the company is also reflected in the investments in its new TPU properties, where such developments shall be driven further.

¡°We are excited to partner with Li Auto and support their pursuit of intelligence and electrification in automobiles,¡± said Guido Naberfeld, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales and Market Development Mobility at ÃÜÌÒAV, during the MOU signing event at ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s integrated production site in Shanghai. ¡°By leveraging our expertise in engineering plastics and circular solutions, we aim to enable innovative future-oriented mobility solutions and reshape automotive material cycles, driving the industry towards a smarter and more circular economy.¡±

Under the MOU, ÃÜÌÒAV and Li Auto will establish a ¡°Joint Innovation Platform¡± to drive the development and application of more sustainable engineering plastics with alternative feedstocks, such as bio-waste and recycled sources, across various automotive components. Key initiatives will involve integrating materials attributed with bio-circular content through mass balancing into automotive lighting, functional interior and exterior parts, and smart system components. The two sides also agreed to explore innovative processes and business models for using recycled lighting materials in new automotive parts together with value chain partners.

Under the joint platform, the two sides also seek to deepen their collaboration in developing lighting, smart systems, and thermal management solutions. This will include high-performance optical-grade materials, smart surface technologies and thermally conductive solutions.

¡°Li Auto is dedicated to implementing the ¡®Smart + Electric¡¯ strategy with innovative materials and designs, aiming to offer users a safer, more comfortable, convenient and refined travel experience,¡± said Liao Mengjun, Vice President of R&D Operations at Li Auto. ¡°Our partnership with ÃÜÌÒAV will expedite our exploration in advanced materials, supporting the ongoing enhancement of user product demands.¡±

During the event, the two parties also unveiled two jointly-developed, industry-leading materials: innovative light-diffusing and infrared-transparent Makrolon? polycarbonates. The light-diffusing polycarbonate allows for a more refined and evenly-distributed illumination effect for smart headlights. Meanwhile, the new infrared-transparent polycarbonate achieves a high transmittance of over 85 percent in the near-infrared spectrum. Compared to conventional black polycarbonate, which absorbs solar energy across the entire spectrum, this new material significantly enhances the light aging resistance of components, contributing to greater durability for the smart headlights of Li Auto.

The film documents the development of the innovative solar racing car ¡°ÃÜÌÒAV Adelie¡± and the participation of the team of around 50 students in the Bridgestone Solar World Challenge 2023 in the Australian outback. Using state-of-the-art technology and innovative high-performance materials from ÃÜÌÒAV, the students have designed an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly racing car. The solar racer paves the way for the development of environmentally friendly vehicle technologies.

From design to the race track

The documentary follows Team Sonnenwagen from the design of the ¡°ÃÜÌÒAV Adelie¡± through to qualifying and then the race across Australia. In addition to the technical aspects of the racing car, the documentary also focuses on the emotions, challenges and tireless team spirit behind this ambitious project. In addition to the interviews with the dedicated students, numerous experts also have their say, including the renowned science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar, the Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport in NRW, Oliver Krischer, the former Opel boss and CEO of Continental, Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, and Sucheta Govil from ÃÜÌÒAV.

Available online on YouTube

¡°We are extremely proud that there is a documentary about our team and the great work of the past two years. This project is so important because it can play a small part in solving an important sustainability problem - greenhouse gas-neutral mobility,¡± says Sonnenwagen team leader Leonie Brandt.

The documentary ¡°SONNENWAGEN - Future Mobility¡± will be available online on from August 27, 2024 at 6:15 p.m. The trailer is already available .

ÃÜÌÒAV will supply Carlisle with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) that is based on ISCC PLUS certified mass balanced bio-circular raw materials and features up to a 99%¹ lower product carbon footprint than fossil-based MDI. It specifically has a CO₂ reduction potential of 2.4 KG per KG of MDI produced.² This will enable Carlisle to produce its high-performance polyiso insulation boards with lower embodied carbon.

The collaboration between ÃÜÌÒAV and Carlisle extends a legacy of joint innovation in the construction industry that spans decades. As sustainability targets for the built environment stand to increase, the two companies are prepared to develop and introduce the next generation of insulation materials.

¡°ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s vision to become fully circular requires R&D advancements that directly support the scope 3 goals of our customers, like Carlisle,¡± said Hermann-Josef Doerholt, global head of the segment Performance Materials at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°ÃÜÌÒAV has some of the most aggressive sustainability and climate targets in the chemical industry, and the further we progress in developing solutions to achieve them, the more the effects resonate along the supply chain.¡±

ÃÜÌÒAV will supply its Mondur^? CQ 489 MS isocyanate to Carlisle. The CQ, or ¡°Circular Intelligence¡± designation represents a broad family of ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s circular products with an attribution of at least 25 percent alternative raw materials derived from biomass or recycled plastics.

Carlisle Construction Materials, a global leader in building envelope solutions, aims to be net zero by 2050. Carlisle will produce its bio-based rigid foam insulation, which contains 5% bio-circular content, for the SynTec, Versico, Hunter Panels and WeatherBond brands. This state-of-the-art bio-based insulation is the latest addition to Carlisle Construction Materials' portfolio of sustainable building products.

"Carlisle Construction Materials has always been at the forefront of developing high-performance construction products that lead the way in sustainability," said Steve Schwar, President of Carlisle Construction Materials. "With our new bio-based rigid foam insulation, we are demonstrating our unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility while ensuring that our customers have access to the most advanced building materials available. Our partners play a pivotal role in the realization of our bio-based isolation," added Steve. "Together, we're not only pushing the boundaries of material science, but also supporting the construction industry's transition to a more sustainable future."

¡°At ÃÜÌÒAV, we have long understood the unparalleled performance attributes of polyurethane insulation,¡± said Julia Rubino, head of sales for Performance Materials at ÃÜÌÒAV North America. ¡°The ability to provide an innovative, bio-circular raw material solution to a long-time partner and a leader in the construction industry, like Carlisle, shows that future-focused sustainable solutions are available today.¡±

ÃÜÌÒAV has ISCC PLUS certified facilities in every major global market, including its manufacturing facility in Baytown, Texas. In support of its vision to be fully circular, ÃÜÌÒAV aims to be operationally climate neutral (scope 1 and scope 2) by 2035 and climate neutral for scope 3 by 2050. The company currently has hundreds of circular CQ products and is continuously expanding its product portfolio.

_{¹ Exact percentage depends on the amount of allocated raw material. 
² Bio-circular attributed MDI contains ~60% ISCC PLUS certified feedstock. The calculation is based on ÃÜÌÒAV-specific production and supply chain data, replacing fossil raw material with ISCC PLUS certified renewable feedstock via the mass balance approach.}

The first prize went to Isabel Payne, a Product Design Engineering student from the Glasgow School of Art. She created ¡®SafiCase¡¯ ¨C a device for cleaning and steam sterilising re-usable menstrual cups using minimal water. The case is entirely self-powered, using a solar battery for the sterilising circuit. It is targeted at women who want something to use when they are nowhere near an electricity source or any running water. It is collapsible, so can be carried easily.

Chairman of judges, Richard Brown, said: ¡°This is a great solution to safely clean a menstrual cup without power and to maintain hygiene. This product uniquely addresses the off-grid challenge and meets a very clear social need, not just for the traveller, but also, for example, displaced people. It was very well researched and is a worthy winner with a product idea that could be commercialised.¡±

Isabel said: ¡°It means such a lot to have a platform for dealing with the issue of period poverty, which is rarely spoken about, despite affecting so many people worldwide and around 40 per cent of women in the UK. I hope this design helps bring awareness for reusable options and helps other people decide to invest time in designing more solutions, as there is very little innovation in this area.¡±

The judges awarded second place to Jake Lee (Product Design Engineering), also of Glasgow School of Art, for his product ¡®SkinTemp¡¯, a cold-water temperature sensor that alerts users to dangerous drops in body temperature. In third place was Glasgow School of Art¡¯s Jem Mitchell, also a Product Design Engineering student, who produced ¡®Sentree¡¯, a solar powered sonic deterrent that protects trees from being overgrazed by animals such as deer.

Notes to editors
Established in 1985, Design Innovation in Plastics is the longest running student plastics design award in Europe. For more information visit .

The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a major UK engineering institution and is the professional body for the advancement of materials, minerals and mining to governments, industry, academia, the public and the professions. For more information visit .

The Worshipful ÃÜÌÒAV of Horners is one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London, formed to regulate the horn-working trade. In 1943 it adopted its modern equivalent, the plastics industry. For more information visit .

Although less associated with the chemical industry or the circular economy, design plays a key role in enabling circularity through various means. It offers a huge opportunity for providers of sustainable and high-performance materials like ÃÜÌÒAV to bring in their expertise.

¡°The design phase determines a large part of a product¡¯s environmental impact: From the choice of materials to repairability, from a long and useful product life to recyclability. We therefore can¡¯t understate the topic of design when we want to become fully circular,¡± explains Dr. Christopher Stillings, Head of Color & Design at the Business Entity Engineering Plastics within ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°As materials experts early in the value chain, we at ÃÜÌÒAV sit in the sweet spot to consult our customers and partners on how to use circular design principles when conceiving a product. We want to systematically collaborate with designers to make use of that.¡°

Gaining momentum

And while product design is not new, a shift is indeed happening - also due to regulators placing increasing emphasis on the topic. For example, the EU is tightening its requirements for , and to make products sold in the EU more reusable, repairable, upgradeable and recyclable. There is also a proposal for a DIN ¡°Method to achieve circular design of products¡± on its way. In the USA, the Department of Energy is pursuing its ¡°¡±, which also includes the factor of ¡°Recyclability by design¡±. Other regulatory bodies are discussing similar initiatives.

To use that momentum, ÃÜÌÒAV offers solutions in several main areas:

• Dematerialization, e.g. by digitalizing sampling processes. ÃÜÌÒAV recently announced its new digital sampling tool for that purpose.
• Design for longevity. This is bread and butter for a high-performance materials manufacturer that provides materials e.g. for products for cars, buildings or the cold chain that have a lifetime of several decades.
• Modular design makes it easier to disassemble products and recycle the parts.
• The use of circular raw materials with a low emission footprint make products made of such material more circular to begin with.

The push for circular design is getting stronger and ÃÜÌÒAV is addressing the topic on various fronts. In fact, it has been addressing the topic for decades already and can build on that expertise. The K67, a car entirely made of plastics made for the K-fair back in 1967, is just one example.

Under this partnership, one of ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s key roles is to provide more sustainable plastic solutions along with their carbon footprint data. Alibaba Cloud¡¯s Energy Expert, an AI-driven sustainability platform, plays a crucial role in realizing the whole life cycle emission accounting from recycled materials to final consumer products leveraging digital technology such as blockchain. It also provides an end-to-end solution for industrial companies to measure and optimize their carbon footprint across their production lifecycle.

¡°As a materials manufacturer with a high focus on sustainable material innovation, ÃÜÌÒAV is committed to driving circularity and climate neutrality. Our collaboration with Alibaba Cloud marks a significant milestone in our journey towards a circular and climate-neutral future,¡± says Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity, at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°With our joint solutions, we are supporting our customers to improve their supply chain transparency while building trust among environmentally conscious consumers, thereby driving industries towards a greener future.¡±

¡°We are proud to partner with ÃÜÌÒAV in pioneering sustainable solutions that drive positive environmental impact,¡± says William Xiong, Vice President of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. ¡°By leveraging our advanced cloud infrastructure and expertise in sustainability technology, we are enabling value chain partners to trace materials with enhanced transparency and efficiency as well as to optimize their carbon footprint to achieve their sustainability target. This partnership exemplifies the transformative power of technology in creating a more sustainable future.¡±

The joint solutions offered by the two parties have already been implemented in the consumer goods sector. For example, ÃÜÌÒAV collaborated with China¡¯s leading beverage maker Nongfu Spring to recycle its 19-litre water barrels into post-consumer recycled polycarbonate. The material was then used by KACO, a niche stationary brand in China, to produce gel pens. Through Alibaba Cloud Energy Expert¡¯s carbon emission accounting and digital tools, consumers can scan a QR code on the packaging of the pens to trace the origin of the material, see a detailed breakdown of the carbon footprint at each stage in the production chain and the number of carbon emission slashed compared to the virgin materials.

The automotive supplier Webasto has developed the prototype of a Roof Sensor Module (RSM) in an elegant design. It is equipped with a polycarbonate panel for aesthetic and seamless integration of sensors for automated and autonomous driving. For the module¡¯s bezel, ÃÜÌÒAV supported with its injection molding expertise at the technical center at its Headquarters in Leverkusen.

The bezel is produced on ÃÜÌÒAV's 2300-ton injection molding machine. The first shot is made of the transparent polycarbonate Makrolon^? AG, which is highly permeable to various sensor signals. For the second shot, the black, mineral-reinforced PC-ABS Bayblend^? T95 MF is used. Thanks to the combination of both materials, the roof module meets high mechanical requirements while offering an attractive design with glass-like surfaces and transparent sensor windows.

Integration of components and coating

In addition, the combination of these materials provides the necessary design freedom for the integration of all relevant electronic and mechanical components. Many of such parts are furthermore attached by elements that are formed in the second shot. Suitable potential coating systems for the RSM are polysiloxane coatings, which are sprayed via a high-speed rotary bell to ensure homogeneous layer thicknesses over the entire component surface.

In use, radar and lidar sensors, as well as cameras, measure the distance and speed of objects in front of and next to the vehicle and also reliably detect traffic lights, traffic signs and road markings. In order to function optimally, the temperature of the electronics must be regulated. This is ensured by an integrated thermal management system. The high heat deflection resistance of polycarbonate ensures that the roof module remains in shape even at high outside temperatures and strong sunlight and that the functionality of the sensors is not impaired.

The Makrofol^? ST polycarbonate film, which is introduced in specific sections and is characterized by a defined transmission spectrum in the visible and infrared range, enables a seamless design with high transparency for LiDAR signals. In addition, the film serves as a carrier for Canatu's transparent heating system. This de-icing function as well as the specially developed cleaning system ensure flawless operation even under adverse weather conditions.

All in all, this development offers not only a portfolio of engineering solutions, but also concepts for developers of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) who need reliable and cost-effective bezels for their 3D imaging systems.

At the international VDI Congress PIAE on June 19 and 20, 2024 in Mannheim, Germany, ÃÜÌÒAV expert Christoph Klinkenberg and Head of Research and Development Magnus Sviberg from Webasto Roof & Components SE will give a presentation on this development on June 19 from 12:15 p.m. The co-author is Rainer Hagen from ÃÜÌÒAV. The company will also be exhibiting at the accompanying exhibition.

¡°Circularity requires cooperation, and this cooperation with our partners Neste and Borealis is testament to the possibilities at our disposal,¡± says Guido Naberfeld, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales and Market Development Mobility at ÃÜÌÒAV. ¡°We are creating options to turn old tires into new car parts again. With that, we are supporting our automotive customers and addressing an increasingly prominent question discussed across the value chain: How to match high-performance materials with recycled content? Projects like this can be the answer.¡±

As part of the collaboration, Neste turns liquefied discarded tires into a high-quality raw material for polymers and chemicals manufacturing and supplies it to Borealis. Borealis will then process the Neste-produced raw material into base chemicals phenol and acetone, which are supplied to ÃÜÌÒAV. ÃÜÌÒAV can use these materials to make polycarbonates. The share of recycled content is attributed via the mass balancing approach all the way to the final products using ISCC Plus certification.

The first products based on the collaboration are already available as each party has manufactured the first batch of their respective contribution to the project. Aside from polycarbonates, the project partners may also consider polyurethanes as a possible end product, which could also find its way into parts of the interior of a car. The companies emphasize that the potential to scale-up these types of developments should be considered when setting ambitious targets for future EU regulations, such as the End of Life Vehicles Regulation.

¡°We are demonstrating the importance of value chain cooperation to give new value to waste,¡± says Thomas Van De Velde, Senior Vice President Base Chemicals at Borealis. ¡°We are proud that Borealis, in collaboration with Neste, is able to play a role in this project, providing more sustainable solutions for polymer applications for ÃÜÌÒAV and its customers.¡±

¡°This project can serve as a blueprint when it comes to establishing circularity in the field of plastics in cars,¡± says Jeroen Verhoeven, Vice President Value Chain Development for polymers and chemicals at Neste. ¡°It shows how low-quality waste materials can be turned into very high-quality plastics. This is good news for the polymers and automotive industries as well as for the environment.¡±

The collaboration will be presented during the PIAE in Mannheim on June 19-20, 2024.

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 ÃÜÌÒAV, 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 ÃÜÌÒAV 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, ÃÜÌÒAV 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, ÃÜÌÒAV 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 ÃÜÌÒAV of its kind and is called Evocycle^? CQ Mattress.

The award is presented by the "German Design Council." Candidates submit projects that have been launched on the market no longer than five years ago, but they can also be nominated by the council. The evaluation is carried out by an independent, interdisciplinary expert jury. The award ceremony took place on May 14 in front of around 300 invited guests at the Futurium in Berlin.

"We are very pleased that the German Design Council has honored us with this award," said Joan Miquel Garc¨ªa Mart¨ªnez, Senior Project Manager Arfinio^? at ÃÜÌÒAV. "Arfinio^? is a real breakthrough for design, surfaces, and sustainability. This award shows the relevance of combining design, manufacturing technology, and materials for the development of new products and confirms that we are on the right track."

The Arfinio^? technology, which ÃÜÌÒAV has developed together with its partner Arcesso, a manufacturer of custom polyurethane parts, combines liquid high-performance polymers and unique minerals with the RIM process (reaction injection molding). This combination enables seamless shapes and surfaces ¨C and was long considered impossible. The resulting products are durable, repairable, and lightweight, can be produced quickly, and allow for free designs. The material also contributes to sustainability as it can be produced with partially bio-based raw materials, can be mechanically recycled at the end of its life cycle, and reused for the production of new products.

During the joint developments with ÃÜÌÒAV, it turned out that a plastic from the Makrolon^? RE series meets the aforementioned requirements very well. This is an ISCC PLUS-certified polycarbonate with raw materials from biological waste and residues allocated via the mass balance approach.

Compared to a fossil-based standard type, the selected polycarbonate during its production (cradle to gate¹ ) has a CO₂ footprint that is reduced by around 80 percent with a share of more than 85 percent allocated renewable raw materials. Makrolon^? RE polycarbonate is part of ÃÜÌÒAV's CQ family, a label used by the company to identify products with a physical or attributed content of at least 25 percent alternative raw materials.

In addition to the selection of more sustainable materials, the development of the new device focused on energy efficiency during use. Deutsche Telekom specifies the carbon dioxide equivalents saved for 1,000 MagentaTV One-devices in energy-saving mode at around 15,500 kilograms per year. Accordingly, the telecommunications company has marked the device with the #GreenMagenta label to underline its positive contribution to climate protection and the responsible use of resources.

"Reducing the CO₂ emissions of plastic parts is an important issue for us in order to achieve our ambitious climate targets," says Dr. Steffen Wasmus, Group Partnering & Devices at Deutsche Telekom. "Makrolon^? RE makes a valuable contribution to this. The collaboration with the global ÃÜÌÒAV team was extremely helpful, as they significantly supported us in the selection and application of suitable materials." Deutsche Telekom aims to achieve net-zero emissions in scope categories 1 to 3 by 2040 across the entire value chain, from production to the use phase of their products.

"Deutsche Telekom is an important partner for us. We jointly want to achieve climate goals and drive the transition to renewable raw materials. Makrolon^? RE makes it possible to use biowaste as a renewable carbon source for the telecommunications value chain without compromising on performance and design," adds Dr. Niklas Meine, Industrial Marketing Electrical & Electronics in the Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) region at ÃÜÌÒAV.

Deutsche Telekom's design team was particularly interested in high-quality processing of the devices, as well as intuitive handling of the device and user-friendly plug-and-play installation.

The mass-balanced polycarbonates from the ÃÜÌÒAV RE portfolio offer the important advantage of achieving virgin product quality and covering a wide range of applications, as they have the same good product and processing properties as their purely fossil-based counterparts. In the case of MagentaTV One, Deutsche Telekom is for the first time using a Makrolon^? RE which displays high transmittance in the near-infrared (NIR) radiation for the TV box and remote.

¹ _{This takes into account a partial product life cycle from raw material extraction (cradle) to the factory gate (of ÃÜÌÒAV), also known as cradle-to-gate assessment. The methodology is based on the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards and has been critically tested by the T?V Rheinland on plausibility. The calculation takes into account biogenic carbon uptake.}

For the 2024 brief, undergraduate students from all around the UK and Ireland were invited to design independently powered products made primarily of plastics, capable of being used off-grid and targeted at either the domestic or sports and leisure markets.

Chairman of the DIP judging panel, Richard Brown, praised the sheer range and creativity of ideas as well as the quality of the products, which he said made the task of selecting six finalists from a vast number of entries particularly challenging.

"The final six have interpreted the brief in innovative ways, made good use of materials and demonstrated that they have researched their subject thoroughly in order to create their solution. We are very much looking forward to seeing them at the final judging session in London on May 24."

As part of their prize, all finalists have been invited to attend a two-day plastics processing training course at the UK headquarters of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, a world-leading manufacturer of injection moulding machines. The DIP judges have also provided each finalist with feedback and areas for improvement, so they can refine their products before May 24.

During the final judging, the products will be carefully evaluated and the results will be announced at the prize-giving ceremony on July 5, in London.

Design Innovation in Plastics is the longest running plastics competition of its kind in Europe, having been established in 1985. It is headline sponsored by ÃÜÌÒAV, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, The Worshipful ÃÜÌÒAV of Horners and also supported by leading design and plastics organisations.

This year¡¯s finalists:

Gargi Agrawalla, Loughborough University: Ear Boost, a product for simutaneously dehumidifying and charging cochlear implants.

Brandon Hopkins, London South Bank University: Saltbuoy, a salt-water powered data buoy.

Jake Lee, Glasgow School of Art: SkinTemp, a core temperature sensor to keep people safe in cold water.

Jem Mitchell, Glasgow School of Art: Sentree, a sonic deterrent for trees to protect them from overgrazing.

Isabel Payne, Glasgow School of Art: SafiCase, a self-powered case for sterilising a menstrual cup with minimal water.

Joe Shade, De Montfort University: Beehive, a smart beehive for monitoring and providing information about the wellbeing of the bees.

About the Design Innovation in Plastics Award:
Established in 1985, Design Innovation in Plastics is the longest running student plastics design award in Europe. For more information visit:

The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a major UK engineering institution and is the professional body for the advancement of materials, minerals and mining to governments, industry, academia, the public and the professions. For more information visit

The Worshipful ÃÜÌÒAV of Horners is one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London, formed to regulate the horn-working trade. In 1943 it adopted its modern equivalent, the plastics industry.
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Under a joint pilot program initiated by German federal enterprise GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft f¨¹r Internationale Zusammenarbeit), ÃÜÌÒAV 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 ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯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 T?V 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 ÃÜÌÒAV. "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.

ÃÜÌÒAV 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 ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯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.

Initial market engagement with automotive brand owners for a serial application of a high-purity polycarbonate is promising, it would represent having a transparent polycarbonate attributed with chemically recycled raw materials.

"We are very excited to expand our existing portfolio of more sustainable polycarbonates with this new product range, which marks another milestone in building the circular economy," explains Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at ÃÜÌÒAV. "Together with our partners, we are already helping to conserve fossil resources and to give a second life to existing waste streams. We also support our customers in achieving their sustainability goals by providing materials that meet the highest purity standards."

Recycled raw materials in trend

More and more industries are asking for products with a specific proportion of recycled raw materials, also in the expectation of upcoming regulatory requirements or voluntary programs, such as the European End-of-Life Vehicle Directive under review (ELV) and the U.S. Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) for electronics products. The RP series offers identical quality as incumbent fossil grades and belong to ÃÜÌÒAV's CQ family. The company uses this suffix to identify products that contain at least 25 percent alternative raw materials. At certain sites, such as Krefeld-Uerdingen in Germany, the plastics in the new range are also produced exclusively using renewable electricity.

The input for Makrolon^? RP is provided by Neste and Borealis: Neste provides high-quality recycled feedstock for new polymers, which is then turned into phenol and acetone by Borealis before it finds its way to ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s site to produce Makrolon^? RP.

"Through chemical recycling, we can enable recycled content even for the most demanding applications," says Jeroen Verhoeven, Vice President Value Chain Development for Neste¡¯s polymers and chemicals business. "Therewith, we can help companies across various sectors to achieve their recycling-related targets ¨C and we are excited to see ÃÜÌÒAV put it into motion."

"Borealis is very happy to support ÃÜÌÒAV in this important initiative ¨C helping to provide credible sustainable solutions and demonstrating the importance of value chain cooperation to give new value to waste," says Thomas Van De Velde, Borealis Senior Vice President Base Chemicals.

In addition to applications in the automotive industry, ÃÜÌÒAV also wants to address other key industries such as the electrical & electronics and the healthcare industry. The aim is to manufacture high-quality and durable products with chemically recycled attributed feedstocks. At the end of a long usage phase, the plastics can still achieve a "third product life" through mechanical recycling and the further development of chemical recycling technologies.

The new series complements ÃÜÌÒAV's existing portfolio of more sustainable polycarbonates ¨C the mechanically recycled Makrolon^? R products and certified mass-balanced grades of the Makrolon^? RE series, which are produced using biowaste and bio-residues. The RE series are now also available with 25 percent renewable attributed sustainable share.

The first applications for the new grades could be in the electrical and electronics industry, as well as in healthcare. Both sectors are particularly well represented in Asia. For their use in housing parts, plastics of the new Apec^? XT line must above all offer freedom of design, dimensional stability, impact as well as chemical resistance and, in some cases, good flame retardancy.

There are also promising prospects for the copolymers in telecommunications and photovoltaics, for example in antenna housings, where weather-resistant, electrically insulating, ductile and flame-retardant materials are needed.

Further product innovations based on the new copolymer technology platform could focus on the automotive industry and infrastructure, where plastics from the new series have good prospects for use in housings for residential energy storage systems, charging stations and wall boxes, for example, thanks to their good electrical insulation properties, weather resistance and flame retardancy.

Apec^? XT grades will be designed to remain resilient even in the harshest conditions. The new copolymer technology enables the production of products that exhibit high impact strength even at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. In addition, these copolymers have improved chemical and ageing resistance, making them ideal for applications that require contact with aggressive cleaning agents and long durability in outdoor applications.

More sustainable products also available

APEC^? XT will also be part of the ÃÜÌÒAV CQ portfolio of more sustainable product solutions. In that regard, ÃÜÌÒAV will offer copolymer-based products in a version with up to 80 percent of ISCC PLUS-certified mass-balanced raw materials attributed from biowaste and bio-residues.

In addition, the company will offer products that incorporate recycled materials in order to also further reduce its environmental footprint. Moreover, due to its superior weatherability performance, the extended service life of APEC^? XT based products will improve product carbon footprint over its entire life cycle.

The advantages are obvious: customers do not need to invest in expensive prototype tools and replacement materials or in complex color matching processes. ÃÜÌÒAV expects that initial sampling loops can be carried out completely virtually to a certain extent ¨C this saves time and material resources. In future, the company will offer all services related to sampling under the Imagio^? CQ brand. The suffix "CQ" stands for Circular Intelligence and emphasizes that the technology makes its contribution to a circular economy in the form of significant material savings.

?Our strategy is to get in touch with our customers at an early stage of product design, when the first material specifications are being defined,? explains Dr. Tobias Rausch, Business Development Digital Sampling in the Engineering Plastics business unit at ÃÜÌÒAV and head of the project. ?We also want to facilitate collaboration between cross-site teams with new digital tools such as catalogs and material twins.?

Faster and more efficient

Customers' product development requirements are constantly growing: they want to be flexible in their choice of materials and increasingly value a more sustainable origin. At the same time, they want to bring their products to market faster while increasing efficiency and saving costs. In addition, they often work in several teams across regions, which need to communicate effectively with each other and also exchange sample parts.

The optimal solution for these requirements is to involve ÃÜÌÒAV and its Imagio^? CQ program at an early stage. This enables customers to make a material decision more quickly and generate and visually evaluate sample parts in the early stages of development. This saves time and costs during specification, and the suitability of more sustainable plastics can also be tested at an early stage. In the three-dimensional space of color, material and finish (CMF), the possibilities are almost unlimited.

The backbone of the digital solution is X-Rite/Pantone's Total Appearance Capture (TAC) technology, which captures optical properties such as color, gloss, transparency, translucency or texture of a specific material sample using an optical appearance measurement device. The data is stored in a special data format. This is supported by leading rendering software tools that ÃÜÌÒAV customers use for their design and marketing visualization. ÃÜÌÒAV's Color & Design Centers (CDCs) in Filago, Italy, Newark, USA, and the Caojing and Guangzhou facilities in China are already equipped with the technology to create digital twins of materials.

A new tool for sales and marketing to search for color combinations ¨C the Imagio^? Color Finder (ICF) ¨C also serves to achieve this goal. Overall, ÃÜÌÒAV expects a shift from costly color matching requests in the CDCs to existing color codes with a better search experience.

The Imagio^? CQ family has now been expanded to include a module called Imagio^? Optical Material Data. The target group here are experts from the field of development and simulation of optical components, i.e. vehicle headlights and interior lighting, as well as general lighting. The module is already being tested with customers and will be the first Imagio^? module to be available after the required registration. On the one hand, it will be possible to search specifically for optical material properties in our EP portfolio, and on the other, ÃÜÌÒAV will provide the necessary data for optical simulation programs such as Ansys Speos, Optis LightTools or customers' own simulation solutions.

Textile coatings

From more sustainable raw materials to textile recycling technologies, ÃÜÌÒAV is supporting the coated textiles value chain in its sustainability transformation thanks to its waterborne INSQIN^? technology. Exhibits on show at Techtextil include a new concept for automotive interior door panels, breathable vegan coatings for functional textiles, and a next-generation, partly biobased leather alternative made using apple waste.

Modern coatings

ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s Desmomelt^? U range of thermoplastic resins is a new class of aliphatic, non-yellowing polyurethane (PU) powders for adhesives, ideal for processing into filament or foil for digital printing applications. Desmomelt^? U will be showcased in an automated 2D-printed hot melt application for shoe uppers, where it can significantly reduce the number of processing steps in footwear production and make end-of-life disassembly of shoes easier.

Specialty films

With its Platilon^? and Dureflex^? film solutions, ÃÜÌÒAV helps makers of sportswear and outdoor gear overcome the challenge of balancing processing efficiency, high performance, and consumer safety. The team will showcase the combined power of these thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films in inflatable surfing kites and wings, enabling reliably excellent performance in this demanding application while meeting production requirements, sustainability needs and safety certification standards.

Thermoplastic polyurethane

Durable, versatile, soft touch, and more sustainable, ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s recyclable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) Desmopan^? is an innovative mono-material solution that brings strong mechanical and sustainability properties to a diverse array of applications. Techtextil visitors will discover the benefits of Desmopan^? solutions in more circular truck tarps, attractive artificial leather, and high-performance yarns that help meet the demands of the fashion industry.

"With our wide-ranging selection of high-performance solutions, ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s booth will be an essential destination for Techtextil visitors," says Thomas Michaelis, Head of Textile Coating in the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America (EMLA) region at ÃÜÌÒAV. "We¡¯re excited to showcase our latest textile innovations in different markets and applications, and to connect with other industry players who share our ambition of enabling a more efficient, more sustainable textile value chain."

Techtextil will be held at Messe Frankfurt from April 23 to 26, 2024. Attendees can find ÃÜÌÒAV in Hall 11.0, Booth E76.

At its booth (C20), ÃÜÌÒAV will present materials and solutions that support the corporate vision of achieving a circular economy. Climate neutrality¹ is a core element of that, for which the company just recently announced its ¡°Scope 3 emission¡± targets, encompassing anything from the raw material base of products to their transport, the performance during their lifetime and the end of their life. By 2035, ÃÜÌÒAV intends to reduce 30% of those emissions, while being entirely climate neutral across all scopes by 2050. Working towards that goal, the company¡¯s product portfolio will become ever more sustainable.

¡°As provider of polyurethane raw materials and solutions, including for example systems for Elastomers, we are at the forefront of circularity and climate neutrality. We take that responsibility seriously and develop recycling technologies, switch to renewable energy and already started the switch to an alternative raw material base,¡± says Thomas Braig, Head of Elastomers at ÃÜÌÒAV. "All the while we ensure maximum quality and performance of our products and to enable our customers to be successful to meet the needs and demands of the market. At our booth at UTECH Europe, customers and interested parties can get a glimpse of how we combine circularity and climate neutrality with product and innovation quality.¡±

To achieve full circularity, collaborations across value chains in and beyond core industries such as Automotive, Building and Construction or Furniture and Appliances will be key. The motto of ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s booth therefore is ¡°Crafting Solutions For You¡±, inviting for in-depth exchanges and discussions. It is divided into three core areas:

Crafting Sustainability

In the area dubbed ¡°Crafting Sustainability¡±, ÃÜÌÒAV will be showcasing innovative products and solutions from the fields of alternative raw materials, innovative recycling and renewable energies that tile the way to circularity. One example among the exhibits is Desmodur^? CQ MS. This climate-neutral MDI (cradle-to-gate assessment) is a key component in the production of low-carbon PU insulation boards, specifically designed for thermal insulation purposes.

Crafting Innovations

In the area ¡°Crafting Innovations¡±, ÃÜÌÒAV shows that innovative materials and solutions will be key to answer an ever more demanding market in terms of properties and reliability while striving to cope with the commanding challenge of a more circular and climate neutral world. At the booth, the company will for example showcase a Baul¨¦^? alpha low pressure dispensing machine for cast PU processing. This machine is notably equipped with catalyst and pigment direct injection and allowing an output up to 10 kg/min. To demonstrate automated production capabilities, the company will also showcase a 3-axis robot equipped with sensors and camera allowing automatic mould detection and casting frame selection as well as safety alarms to improve and secure the casting process.

ÃÜÌÒAV will furthermore give a glimpse on the latest in terms of recycling with its Evocycle^? CQ program. The goal of the Evocycle^? CQ Mattress initiative is to bring end-of-life polyurethane (PU) mattress foam back to its building blocks polyether polyol and toluene diamine (TDA), a key precursor of toluene diisocyanate (TDI), via chemical recycling. These shall then again be used just like virgin materials.

Crafting Performance

Circularity won¡¯t happen unless sustainable products provide at least equal value and quality for customers and industries. ÃÜÌÒAV aims to provide its customers with exactly that ¨C and will showcase some examples how it ¡°crafts performance¡± during UTECH Europe. For example several products made with Desmodur^? 15 prepolymer based systems. On top of improving safety and comfort in the railway sector, these cost-effective and safe solutions can also boost the sewing process in the loom shuttle or reduce maintenance costs in the offshore wind industry.

¹ _{Climate neutrality is the result of an internal assessment of a partial product life cycle from raw material extraction (cradle) to the factory gate (of ÃÜÌÒAV), also known as cradle-to-gate assessment. The methodology of our LCA, for which an external audit and certification will soon be available, is based on the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. The calculation takes into account biogenic carbon sequestration based on preliminary data from the supply chain. No compensation measures were applied.}

The wire and cable industry plays a central role in the global networking of society, especially in the transmission of energy and data. Reliability and efficiency are of paramount importance for these products. That is why ÃÜÌÒAV supports its customers with durable, high-performance and more sustainable material solutions.

The materials presented include:

• Coatings, inks and matrix: ÃÜÌÒAV's innovative coatings, inks and matrix materials are designed to provide exceptional protection and performance in various applications in the energy and telecommunications industries. With more than 40 years of industry experience in fiber and cable materials, ÃÜÌÒAV offers improved design capability, field deployability, reliable performance, ultra-fast curing and excellent protection against attenuation and micro-bending.
• Polycarbonates: ÃÜÌÒAV's polycarbonate materials are characterized by excellent strength, transparency and versatility, making them well-suited for a wide range of energy and telecommunications applications. From optical fibers to electrical housings, ÃÜÌÒAV's polycarbonates ensure dimensional stability and impact resistance over a wide temperature range.
• Thermoplastic polyurethanes: ÃÜÌÒAV's thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) solutions combine flexibility, toughness and chemical resistance, making them ideal for the protection of flame-retardant cables in various energy and telecommunications applications.
• Elastomers: ÃÜÌÒAV's elastomer materials are tailored for exceptional durability and strong resistance against wave and tidal action for energy subsea applications. They offer thermal stability, impact resistance and reliable protection against flex fatigue and hydrolysis. They are durable and reduce maintenance in the offshore wind industry.

Visit ÃÜÌÒAV at booth H51 in hall 10 of wire fair to learn more about its innovative materials for the energy and telecom value chain. Further information:

In addition to the reduced complexity of the new production process, the connection to the existing infrastructure in Antwerp with four production lines for polycarbonate also has an advantageous effect, as it combines global scale in production with the flexibility of a stand-alone unit.

"The new production process is the first and only one of its kind in the world and enables us to offer a broad portfolio of material innovations," says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer at ÃÜÌÒAV. "With the new plant, we can now produce and launch new polymer materials on an industrial scale much faster than before. This is the result of several years of development work by our research and process technology teams, as well as our long-term experience with polycarbonates. In our Solutions & Specialties segment, we focus on sophisticated products with a high pace of innovation, which is a key success factor since customer requirements change quickly. The new production line is a prime example of how we implement this strategy and support our customers to the best extent."

"Compared to pure polycarbonates, the copolymers open up new possibilites for us to integrate further functionalities and properties into our materials," explains Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics business unit. "These can range from improved mechanical properties, a higher resistance against chemical attack to an enhanced flame retardancy. By that, we can offer innovative materials that meet the high requirements of our customers in a wider range of applications. We will focus first on materials for the electrical, electronics and healthcare industries, while future innovations might focus on mobility and other trends." To understand its customers' needs, ÃÜÌÒAV will showcase some of the products that could be produced with the new plant at the Chinaplas exhibition in Shanghai in April and looks forward to talking to customers about these innovative material solutions.

ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s fossil-based waterborne coatings have become industry leaders due to their excellent coating functionality and comfort. Recently, the ÃÜÌÒAV group published its climate neutrality targets for Scope 3 emissions[1] at the end of February this year and invited partners throughout the value chain to actively participate in the low-carbon future and achieve its comprehensive climate neutrality vision. INSQIN^?, the ÃÜÌÒAV brand introduced at the symposium, maintains consistent quality while focusing on sustainability, and includes partially bio-based, partially biodegradable, and mass-balanced waterborne PU coating solutions. To meet the needs of renowned international sports brands, ÃÜÌÒAV has also collaborated with Taiwanese manufacturers in the development of bio-based coating formulations.

¡°±õ±·³§²Ï±õ±·^? is free from DMF solvents, enabling our customers to transform to environmentally friendly production,¡± stated Rich Guo, Technical Sales Manager, CA (Coatings & Adhesives) Sales & Market Development of ÃÜÌÒAV Taiwan, who served as a speaker at the symposium. ¡°In recent years, we have continuously introduced innovative solutions to enhance the sustainable components in our customers¡¯ products, while maintaining the same excellent performance as our fossil-based materials.¡±

INSQIN^? waterborne PU technology provides high-quality waterborne PU coating materials and crosslinkers, offering more sustainable solutions for fashion design and high performance in textile fabrics. It is applicable for various coated textile products, including PU or PVC synthetic materials, PU coatings, printing, and impregnated fabrics. The excellence of INSQIN^? makes it highly regarded by leading global brands in industries such as automotive, sports and outdoor, technical textiles, furniture, and fashion.

INSQIN^? delivers superb durability, elasticity and flexibility, allowing for a wider range of colors and fashion choices. It also enables a great surface feel. Additionally, as a low-VOC waterborne coating, it consumes less water and results in lower emissions in the production process.

The Impranil^? CQ in the INSQIN^? system contains partially bio-based PU dispersions from renewable resources. All the solutions with the ¡°CQ¡± suffix contain a minimum of 25% alternative materials and offer comparable performance to their fossil-based counterparts. On the other hand, Impranil^? DLN in the INSQIN^? system is used in textile products such as disposable gloves and can achieve 66% biodegradation within 28 days. This is a higher level of environmental friendliness compared to many conventional natural latex or non-biodegradable chemical materials available in the market.

As the global textile industry moves towards sustainability, ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s leading position in the green coatings field will help push the sustainable transformation of the entire industry chain, collectively achieving a more environmentally friendly and circular future. 
 

[1] ÃÜÌÒAV has published its climate neutrality targets for scope 3 emissions, completing its climate strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For further information, please refer to our company profile in the boilerplate column.

"ÃÜÌÒAV understands the value chain and is not only a film producer but also an innovator and integrator," says Karine Benbelaid, Global Head of Medical Segment, Specialty Films, ÃÜÌÒAV. "The company has a long, successful track record driving industrial collaboration with converters, printers, OEMs, research labs and designers. We¡¯re highlighting a few of these collaborations at LOPEC 2024."

ÃÜÌÒAV is participating at LOPEC, the International Exhibition and Conference for Printed Electronics, in Munich, Germany from March 5-7 at Hall 0, Booth 612 (B0.612). The company will showcase a diverse range of polycarbonate (PC) films and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films for printed electronics manufacturing in healthcare and HMI (human-machine interface) applications in automotive and electronics design.

Smart patches and other healthcare applications

In the healthcare sector, smart medical skin patches help improve patient comfort and allow for enhanced remote monitoring, such as Electromyogram (EMG). While electronic patches are already used in many areas, such as patient monitoring, there is a growing need for digitization. With this in mind, ÃÜÌÒAV will display a smart patch for early detection of ostomy bag leaks, developed with Witte Technology GmbH and Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG.

People with artificial intestinal outlet (stoma) use ostomy bags, which collect the gut and bowel liquid. These bags can sometimes leak, which can be associated with discomfort for the patient. For that reason, early detection is crucial to patient comfort. Using a sensor array printed on a medical grade Platilon^? TPU film, the smart patch on display can detect any leakage between the artificial intestinal outlet and the ostomy bag. The patch is designed for retrofitting an ostomy bag and can be integrated into existing ostomy bag solutions.

"The excellent collaboration among Witte Technology, Lohmann, and ÃÜÌÒAV has yielded a groundbreaking solution: a smart patch for early ostomy bag leakage detection," says Dr. Volker Lutz, Head of New Business Development, Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG. "With its innovative sensor array on medical-grade Platilon^? TPU film, this smart patch promises enhanced comfort and peace of mind for ostomy patients around the world."

The following applications are also on display:

• Smart EMG wearable patches for biosignal acquisition made with Platilon^? 5302 MR7X, courtesy of Nile AB (Linxens Healthcare)
• Platilon^? TPU films with excellent printability for silver-based inks, which ensure high conductivity

HMI for automotive and electronics applications

LOPEC attendees will also see HMI applications for automotive and electronics designs enabled by in-mold electronics (IME). The feasibility of these technologies for mass production will be demonstrated using examples of the design of intelligent surfaces and innovative lighting.

The ?smart surface? demo, jointly developed by ÃÜÌÒAV and TactoTek^?, will demonstrate the use of Makrolon^? polycarbonate resin and Makrofol^? PC film technology to bring electronics into thin, durable and seamless 3D plastic surfaces by Film Insert Molding (FIM) technology.

An innovative lighting project for surfaces called ¡®Jenny¡¯ will also be on display. Jenny was developed by TactoTek^? and Novem using ÃÜÌÒAV materials and consists of real wood laminate and areas of triangular PC overmolds and wood. This structure provides seamless, even lighting in a high-quality design.

"We are thrilled to reveal ¡®Jenny¡¯, our extraordinary lighting concept. The A-Surface can be customized for an ultra-premium feel and finish", says Paavo Niskala, SVP IMSE Technology, TactoTek^?. "By integrating Makrofol^? and Makrolon^? layers, along with different surfaces, we have achieved an unparalleled fusion of innovation and elegance."

At LOPEC 2024, ÃÜÌÒAV will display a LiDAR cover lens, engineered with Canatu, featuring Makrolon^? AG polycarbonate resin and Makrofol^? PC film with an integrated heater. This collaboration enhances Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems for modern vehicles, ensuring reliability in harsh weather by combining ÃÜÌÒAV's thermoplastics expertise with Canatu's carbon nanotube (CNT) transparent film heater.

Hear from a ÃÜÌÒAV expert

At LOPEC 2024 Congress, ÃÜÌÒAV expert Karine Benbelaid will give a lecture on March 5, room 13b at 9:05 a.m. CET, entitled, ¡°Turning Medical Devices Smart and Circular".

The company's stand A39 in Hall 8.0 will showcase commercial luminaires from well-known manufacturers using these more sustainable types of plastic, as well as switches and sockets from the SAGA^TM series from ABB, a leading technology company in the fields of electrification and automation, in which Makrolon^? RE is used.

However, ÃÜÌÒAV not only offers the right plastics for increasing technical and sustainability requirements, but also supports customers from conception through product and design development to commercialization. The company's application and material experts strive to meet customer requirements in terms of colors, materials and surface finishes (Color, Material, Finish; CMF). This also includes a close cooperation with industrial designers.

Realistic virtual prototypes

The use of digital technologies in particular contributes to accelerated product development. Complex optical measurement processes can be used to create digital twins and thus photorealistic renderings that allow the appearance of the finished product to be recognized at an early stage without the need to produce complex prototypes. New color trends will be presented at the trade fair stand and digital materials can be tried out on a wallbox rendering on site.

Tailor-made polycarbonates from ÃÜÌÒAV are available for lighting and illumination technology, covering a whole range of requirements and properties:

• High light transmission: The Makrolon^? LED range offers exceptional light transmission of over 90 percent, which improves the light output of transparent luminaire covers, lenses, light guides and other optical products. It enables more efficient lighting solutions while maintaining transparency and aesthetics.
• Different levels of translucency: ÃÜÌÒAV offers three levels of translucency with maximum light transmission to realize customization of opacity for luminaires. The Makrolon^? DQ range ensures optimum lighting conditions without compromising on design and visual appeal.
• Diffuse reflection: Ideal for reflectors, Makrolon^? RW offers aesthetic white surfaces combined with up to 97 percent diffuse reflection in all directions. This property results in glare-free, eye-friendly light and makes it an excellent choice for various lighting applications. An opaque version is also available to avoid light emissions.
• Good thermal conductivity: The Makrolon^? TC range offers plastic solutions with maximum thermal conductivity. As an alternative to metal heat sinks, these materials not only enable weight reduction, but also design flexibility and more energy-efficient production than with the conventional material aluminum.
• Flame retardant plastics: Under the name Makrolon^? FR, ÃÜÌÒAV offers flame retardant variants of Makrolon^? LED, DQ, RW and TC products for applications with high lighting and safety requirements. These include materials that are suitable for use in trains or other means of mass transportation.

If you would like to find out more about the functional and more sustainable material solutions for the lighting industry, visit us at the ÃÜÌÒAV stand in Hall 8B, Stand A39.

On March 5, ÃÜÌÒAV expert Dr. Niklas Meine will give a presentation entitled "Smart Plastics Solutions for a Circular Economy ¨C Combining Performance, Aesthetics and Sustainability" at stand B60 in hall 5.0 from 2:30 pm.

"Collaborations along the value chain with like-minded partners are key to enable a circular and climate neutral world. Materials play an important role for example in reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. With Henkel¡¯s new wood adhesive based on ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s ever more sustainable raw materials, we jointly contribute to the circular transformation of the construction industry", says Dr. Thomas Roemer, Head of the Coatings and Adhesives Business Entity at ÃÜÌÒAV. 

Materials are key for sustainability of various sectors 

By enabling timber construction, load-bearing adhesives already contribute to sustainability of building structures. Since timber is a natural material, its properties inherently underly bigger variations than most synthetically produced materials. It is for example prone to deformation, inhibiting aesthetics as well as functionality, usually limiting its use in load-bearing or other demanding applications. The solution: Utilizing technologies and processes to bond different layers of wood, like cross-lamination or glue-lamination with polyurethane adhesives. Thereby it is possible to create wood panels that maintain strength, form and functionality over time. By increasing the use of alternative raw materials, the carbon footprint of such material can further be improved. 

"This is another step towards an ever more sustainable and circular future. Thanks to our work with ÃÜÌÒAV, we are able to supply two of our best-selling polyurethane adhesives now being manufactured using alternative raw materials. In addition and by using the mass balance approach, there is no change in product performance and all load bearing certificates of the adhesives remain. With this, we provide our direct customers as well as architects and construction companies with a solution that contributes to their aim of reducing the impact of materials on the overall carbon footprint of buildings", says Dr. Claudia Meckel, Head of Product Development Engineered Wood at Henkel. 

Henkel and ÃÜÌÒAV both treat sustainability and fostering a circular economy with high priority. For ÃÜÌÒAV, broadening its raw material base with bio-based or recycled solutions is key part of that endeavor. Since such alternatives are blended with conventional raw materials in the manufacturing process, segregation and allocation are challenging. To attribute the used alternative feedstock to a final product, the mass balance approach is therefore used. That is a chain of custody method allowing to mix traditional and alternative raw materials during production, but separating and allocating them to products in bookkeeping. The soundness and compliance of this approach is certified externally by the internationally recognized ISCC PLUS scheme. For the wood adhesive, all involved sites and partners of Henkel and ÃÜÌÒAV are certified according to this scheme. 

^{1 share of the organic mass excluding inorganic materials}

The Makrolon^? RE used by ABB has a very low carbon footprint; at best, it is climate-neutral**. In addition, the raw materials used in the synthesis of its starting materials are largely derived from mass-balanced organic waste and residues such as used cooking oils and fats.

Climate neutral** across the entire value chain as a common goal

"We are delighted to be able to effectively support ABB in its ambitious sustainability goals. Basically, we are doing everything we can to help our customers and their clients with more sustainable product solutions in the development of climate-neutral and resource-saving material cycles," emphasizes Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at ÃÜÌÒAV.

ABB manufactures the majority of the SAGA^TM range in its climate-neutral factory*** in Porvoo, Finland. With the help of a highly efficient energy management system, the plant uses only renewable energy and processes low-emission materials such as Makrolon^? RE. "Porvoo is one of the first milestones in our Mission to Zero? program, which aims to achieve climate neutrality for both our own sites and those of our customers. Materials such as Makrolon^? RE are an important building block in our sustainability strategy," says Mikaela Ahln?s-M?kel?inen, Local Product Group Manager at ABB.

Highest quality standards met

The Makrolon^? RE variant used by ABB is colored in signal white (RAL 9003) and is characterized by excellent UV stability. For example, it easily passed a test that simulates two years of horizontal, two-dimensional UV exposure under northern European light conditions. In addition, its electrical properties ¨C such as high dielectric strength and tracking resistance ¨C meet all electrical safety requirements. "The Makrolon^? RE compound is a successful example of how aesthetics, performance and sustainability can be harmonized with just one material," explains Dr. Niklas Meine, Senior Marketing Manager and responsible for Marketing Electrical Engineering and Electronics EMEA at ÃÜÌÒAV.

Drop-in solution without compromising on performance

The proportion of attributed alternative raw materials in the compound is over 80 percent. It is mass-balanced and certified in accordance with the established ISCC PLUS standard (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification). In principle, the material variants of Makrolon^? RE are completely identical to their purely fossil-based counterparts in terms of chemistry, physics and processing behavior. "Our customers can therefore replace these counterparts as a drop-in solution in ongoing production processes without having to change processing parameters on the injection molding machines," explains Niklas Meine.

SAGA^TM is designed for the electrification of commercial and public buildings, private residential buildings and the hospitality sector. It can be integrated into the ABB i-bus^? KNX and ABB-free@home^? building automation systems and will initially be marketed in Northern Europe.

^{* Based on an ABB estimation.
** Climate neutral according to verified life cycle assessment based on ISO standards 14040/14044. Climate neutrality is verified by assessing a partial product life cycle from resource extraction (cradle) to factory gate, also known as cradle-to-gate assessment. The calculation takes into account the biogenic carbon sequestration and not the impact from the first "life". It is based on preliminary data from the supply chain and replaces the electricity grid mix with renewable electricity used for the manufacturing process at ÃÜÌÒAV. No compensation measures were applied. The LCA methodology developed by ÃÜÌÒAV is scientifically sound and state of the art. ID no. 0000083440: ÃÜÌÒAV ¨C Certipedia.
*** According to ABB. More information about the Porvoo site is given in the ABB press release:}

Until now, ÃÜÌÒAV and Siemens have always concluded individual supply agreements for different material groups and services. The new structure now provides a general framework and serves as the basis for all future contracts and agreements between the companies. It covers the full range of Siemens' offering, from the purchase of materials to the supply of complex solutions, for which Siemens will be involved in the early stages of project development at ÃÜÌÒAV.

"With this agreement, we are strengthening our trusting partnership and can now work together even more closely and efficiently," says Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer at ÃÜÌÒAV. "This step makes it clear that we will continue to rely on our partnership with Siemens in the future. Siemens has proven to be a reliable supplier in many projects over the many years of cooperation and therefore we want to continue to work together with Siemens in the future to drive the transformation of the chemical industry towards climate-neutral production and a circular economy."

Axel Lorenz, CEO Process Automation at Siemens, says: "We are very pleased to continue our successful path together with ÃÜÌÒAV. In recent years, we have greatly expanded our portfolio for the chemical industry. At the same time, the challenges for sustainable production in the industry have grown significantly. The new agreement takes this development into account and offers a very good basis for implementing innovative ideas together even more easily in the future."

"We work closely with our healthcare customers and recognized that we could offer a polycarbonate made for highest curing temperatures in silicone over-molding, helping them more than double production volumes in the same amount of time due to shorter cycle times," said Pierre Moulinie, Global Healthcare Technology Lead, ÃÜÌÒAV LLC.

"Our experts provide support every step of the way," he continued, ¡°helping our customers calculate possible savings when switching to this new high-heat Apec^? copolycarbonate grade ¨C for example, simulating material performance in specific applications and calculating cost benefits with our LSR calculator tool.¡±

In addition to offering high heat resistance and high productivity, Apec^? 2045 copolycarbonate offers other important benefits for this market. These include:

• Durability: Tough engineering plastic with the highest heat resistance in the medical polycarbonate portfolio
• Transparency: Produces transparent parts with high optical clarity
• Biocompatible: Biocompatibility testing according to ISO 10993-1 and USP Class VI for contact of 30 days or less
• Sterilizable: Supports sterilization methods most prevalent in the healthcare industry, including irradiation, autoclave and hot air
• Processability: Consistent and efficient processing

Furthermore, using this new material may contribute to customer sustainability goals, as it can enable circular business models by supporting close- and open-loop recycling, as well as the possibility of attributed bio-circular content.

Attendees at , February 6-8 in Anaheim, California, can visit the ÃÜÌÒAV booth (#2221) to learn how the company¡¯s materials push boundaries in healthcare applications.

Polycarbonates from ÃÜÌÒAV are found in some of modern technology¡¯s most essential medical devices and play a major role in developing next-generation, life-saving technology. Used in applications where strength, clarity and toughness are necessary, polycarbonates from ÃÜÌÒAV exemplify the innovation, safety and biocompatibility that healthcare and life sciences designers and manufacturers across the world have come to know and trust. To learn more about how your company can use ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s material expertise to enhance your medical and healthcare manufacturing, visit our .

Building upon previous sustainable sourcing efforts, this marks the first major procurement agreement involving chemically recycled, circular-based raw materials for ÃÜÌÒAV, a major step in the company¡¯s journey towards full circularity. It also helps reduce scope 3 emissions for ÃÜÌÒAV and its customers.

"The ability to source raw materials from used plastics for the manufacture of our products makes a decisive contribution to realizing our vision of a circular economy," said Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer at ÃÜÌÒAV. "This is because such raw materials not only enable the reuse of used plastics, but also have a lower carbon footprint, which leads to more sustainable end products."

Benzene and toluene are important raw materials in ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s manufacturing processes used for the production of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI), respectively. MDI and TDI are critical raw materials used to produce rigid and flexible polyurethane foams, which are used in applications such as household appliance and building insulation as well as furniture and car seats.

Benzene can also be used for the synthesis of phenol and acetone ¨C raw materials for making polycarbonate plastics such as Makrolon^?, which are used in high-quality applications for the automotive, electronics, IT and other industries.

Encina¡¯s proven proprietary catalytic technology produces circular feedstock with a lower carbon footprint when compared to those based on fossil fuels and an exceptionally high yield.

"Encina is proud to be working with ÃÜÌÒAV, a company with a long track record of innovation and commitment to sustainability. This agreement represents the beginning of what we hope to be a long-standing partnership between our companies as we work to create a truly circular economy and realize a future in which nothing is wasted," said David Roesser, Chief Executive Officer of Encina.

ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s vision to become fully circular is predicated on four key drivers: the use of alternative raw materials, innovative recycling and renewable energy, as well as engaging in joint solutions. The agreement with Encina represents a pioneering milestone for incorporating innovative recycling technologies, in this case chemical recycling of end-of-life plastic, into ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s production.

"The vegan idea fits perfectly into the overall concept of AQUAIR^? and is a logical further development for us," says Matthias Krings, Managing Director of . Performance and responsible product design in all steps form the basis of the highly breathable overall system. The starting point is the synthetic layer, which can be individually designed in terms of color and grain.

"The microporous PU system is based on our aqueous and more sustainable INSQIN^? technology, with which the production of coated textiles also requires up to 95 percent less water and 50 percent less energy compared to conventional production processes," explains Dr. Torsten Pohl, Head of Global Textile Coatings at ÃÜÌÒAV. In combination with the technologies from Trans-Textil, this results in unique properties with a wearing comfort and functionalities that raise the to a new level and are now also verifiably vegan according to the PFI standard.

In addition to textile substrates, the test seal also included waterproof, breathable Topaz membrane systems based on polyurethane (PU) and polyester (PES), so that there is a great deal of creative freedom in product design with regard to structure, coloring and technical properties. The PU hotmelt systems used to manufacture the multi-layer composite products, which are applied at Trans-Textil using the high-quality and durable Point-in-Point^? lamination technology, have also been vegan tested. Water-repellent properties are already integrated in AQUAIR^? and no additives need to be added which are currently often viewed critically. All components and process steps are also tested according to Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX^? for processing without harmful ingredients.

In a regional and responsibly designed supply chain, breathable synthetic products "Made in Germany" are created with AQUAIR^? for the design of shoe components, leisure, sports and outdoor clothing, bags and accessories as well as for use in functional upholstery and furniture ¨C even for small series or samples. The production as roll goods is the basis for an optimal use of material in the manufacture. If required, compatible Topaz tapes are available for seam sealing, which are also based on water-based formulation components.

ÃÜÌÒAV is already making an important contribution to more sustainable vehicles and infrastructure with innovative material solutions. In this context, the company is also working in close partnership with Team Sonnenwagen, a team of around 50 students from RWTH Aachen University and Aachen University of Applied Sciences. It is dedicated to developing racing cars that are powered solely by the sun. ÃÜÌÒAV shares the students' enthusiasm because the racing cars, with their high efficiency and use of new technologies and materials, are a powerful symbol of the mobility of the future. That is why ÃÜÌÒAV is supporting the team as the main sponsor with material solutions and technical exchange for another two years.

"In order to create a climate-neutral and circular mobility of the future, business, politics and society must pull together. At ÃÜÌÒAV, we are contributing to this transformation by offering the automotive industry raw materials based on biomass or recyclates and manufacturing our products as energy-efficiently and with as few emissions as possible," said Dr. Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer, during the discussion. "At ÃÜÌÒAV, we want our production to be climate-neutral by 2035 and are relying on energy from renewable sources and innovative process technologies to achieve this."

ÃÜÌÒAV's material developments focus on solutions for the major trends of electromobility, autonomous driving and the need for individualization. These include material solutions for compact, powerful and safe batteries for electric cars and robust charging systems, plastics for connected mobility and the Internet of Things, as well as various products for aesthetic and functional automotive interiors and exteriors.

ÃÜÌÒAV has been supporting Team Sonnenwagen in the development of ever more efficient solar racing cars since 2017. The students are working together in a wide range of disciplines to improve the aerodynamics, optimize the chassis and install a particularly efficient photovoltaic system and battery. Participants at the NRW Mobility Day were able to take a look at the ÃÜÌÒAV Photon, the predecessor model to the current Adelie racing car, and talk to team members. With the Photon, Team Sonnenwagen became European champion at the European solar race in Zolder, Belgium, in September 2022.

Since the new dispersion has the same outstanding properties as the established one, as well as a high solids content of 55 percent, customers can now replace Impranil^? DLU one-to-one with Impranil^? CQ DLU in their processing operations ¨C and thereby easily achieve an additional increase in textile coating sustainability. Sustainability is increasingly becoming a key purchasing criterion not only for the industry, but also for brand owners and consumers. CQ stands for "Circular Intelligence". The core idea of the CQ concept is to label ÃÜÌÒAV products if the alternative raw material base exceeds a content of 25 percent, as in this case.

As the raw material for INSQIN^? technology, the established Impranil^? DLU already enables aqueous textile coating without the use of solvents. The ecological footprint of such a coating is significantly lower than that of solvent-based systems. "With the innovation Impranil^? CQ DLU as part of our Impranil^? CQ portfolio, we are now enabling the textile coatings industry to take the next step towards more sustainability through the increased use of renewable resources," says Dr. Torsten Pohl, Head of Global Textile Coatings at ÃÜÌÒAV.

Impranil^? CQ DLU is suitable, among other things, for producing synthetic materials for sports articles, technical textiles, car interiors, and bags. Properties of coatings based on the new high-performance dispersion include excellent hydrolysis resistance, very good lightfastness, as well as high tensile strength and scratch resistance. In addition, the coatings have a pleasant feel and good alkali resistance. Impranil^? CQ DLU can be used for both the intermediate coat and the top coat. The dispersion can be applied in various ways: The spectrum ranges from direct or transfer coating to printing processes and microfiber dipping.

Visit us at the Automotive Interiors Expo

From December 5 to 7, 2023, visitors to the Automotive Interiors Expo in Stuttgart can explore the new PU dispersion for themselves: A car interior door panel coated with Impranil^? CQ DLU will be demonstrated at the ÃÜÌÒAV exhibition stand no. 3424 in Hall 3.

ÃÜÌÒAV offers an extensive of specialty films that help create excellent, secure ID documents. This includes ID cards and driver's licenses made from Makrofol? ID polycarbonate (PC) films, as well as passports made using Platilon? thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) film materials. Through advanced PC and TPU films, the company develops security feature integration solutions that not only make ID documents highly counterfeit-resistant, but also easy to authenticate. 

New horizons in passport booklet security

The industry agrees: Identity documents made of monolithic polymer laminates such as polycarbonate offer increased security against counterfeiting. The foundation for the higher security is multiple features, embedded in various layers of polymer films that are laminated under the influence of heat and pressure in such a way that separation of the layers is impossible without irreparable damage to the document. "We are advancing the concept of multi-layered and laminated security features, from Makrofol? polycarbonate data pages to passport covers that use embossed and embedded features to help increase the security level," says Daniel Hentschel, Global Segment Manager Identification. 

As part of its program at Trustech 2023, ÃÜÌÒAV is therefore proud to present its new concepts for passport booklets, where Platilon? TPU films play a central role by offering passport color, design flexibility and high anti-counterfeiting properties. These Platilon? TPU films from ÃÜÌÒAV are suitable to produce flexible, wear-resistant passport covers that provide protection for embedded chips and antennas. These novel passport covers can be customized with different surface textures and colors. 

The presentation of adjacent material solutions around identification documents from ÃÜÌÒAV to create security features, hinge connections, as well as passport end page solutions underscores its commitment to the fight against counterfeiting. The result is an integrative ID material concept that is not only safe and durable, but also aesthetically impressive. 

Meet us at Trustech 2023 

Discover more into cutting-edge and sustainable film material solutions for ID documents by ÃÜÌÒAV, we cordially invite you to visit our booth at C067 in Pavilion 5.2. Our experts will be available to provide insights and answers to your questions. 

Additionally, Georgios Tziovaras, Global Business Development Manager Identification Documents & Security Printing, will give a talk on ¡®Security features in laminated passport book covers¡¯: a presentation on the Innovation Stage on November 28 at 14:30 p.m. CET.