Evonik expects its global circular plastics program to generate additional sales of more than €350 million a year by 2030.

Evonik is pooling its activities for circular plastics in a global program. As part of the transition to a circular economy, the company offers its customers solutions for all stages in the polymer value chain. Additives and technologies from Evonik make mechanical and chemical recycling more efficient thus improving the availability of circular plastics. Evonik will also increase the use of sustainable raw materials from circular sources in its own production processes.

Harald Schwager, deputy chairman of Evonik's executive board, who is responsible for innovation said, “We have the innovative capability to create new materials cycles with fewer fossil-based feedstocks and more circular ones. We intend to utilize that potential.”

More than 350 million metric tons of plastics are produced worldwide every year. However, only a small fraction of that amount is recycled. Evonik can facilitate the transformation to a circular economy for sustainable plastics applications with its additives and solutions, and at competitive cost and quality.

“We are working closely with partners along the entire polymer value chain to make this happen,” said Lauren Kjeldsen, who is responsible for Evonik's global circular plastics program.

Evonik is also working on various chemical recycling technologies for plastic waste that cannot be recycled mechanically. Here, the polymer chains are split to obtain building blocks for the production of new plastics. For example, Evonik is currently developing a process to facilitate recycling of heavily contaminated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste. New molecules for high-end applications can be obtained via methanolysis.

Another method of chemical recycling is controlled incineration of plastic waste to produce pyrolysis oils or synthesis gases. Evonik offers modern technologies that play a part in making these processes more efficient. Examples are additives, catalysts, and membranes for the treatment of gas. These pyrolysis oils and synthesis gases can be used as raw materials for the production of plastics.