LANXESS is driving forward the circular economy and is increasingly using bio-based or recycled raw materials made from polylactic acid and flax fabrics in its plastics production.

A new variant of the composite Tepex is 100 percent based on the biological raw materials flax and polylactic acid. Tepex can be recycled completely. After its use, the product can be shredded and easily processed into new plastic.

“We have combined fabrics made from the natural flax fibers with bio-based polylactic acid as a matrix material and thereby developed a composite manufactured entirely from natural resources. We are now able to produce it to a level of quality suitable for large-scale production,” says Stefan Seidel, Head - Tepex Research and Development, LANXESS.

The extremely strong material is suitable for use in sports articles, in the production of automotive interior parts and in electronics for case components. LANXESS produces the composite at its site in Brilon, Germany.

LANXESS also relies on sustainable raw materials for its Durethan brand polyamide-6 plastics. In the latest product, 92 percent of the raw materials have been replaced by sustainable alternatives; the long-term plan is to increase the proportion to 100 percent.

In the production of the high-performance plastic, LANXESS uses “green” cyclohexane from sustainable sources such as rapeseed oil or other biomass as raw material. For the supply of “green” cyclohexane LANXESS has entered into a strategic cooperation with energy company bp. The high-performance plastic is also reinforced with 60 percent by weight of glass fibers recycled from industrial glass waste.

The alternative raw materials are chemically identical to their equivalents of fossil origin. Therefore, the plastic has the same properties as its fossil-based counterpart. It was developed at the LANXESS site in Dormagen, Germany, and is manufactured at the site in Krefeld, Germany. “A climate-neutral future can only become a reality if we increasingly use sustainable products,” says Frederique van Baarle, Head - High Performance Materials business unit, LANXESS.

In the future, LANXESS will add “Scopeblue” to its most sustainable products. The brand label marks products that either consist of at least 50 percent circular (recycled or biobased) raw materials or whose carbon footprint is at least 50 percent lower than the one of conventional products.