Kraiburg is reinforcing its commitment to a circular future with new insights into the role of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) in sustainable product design and material circularity. Magdalena Michl, Product Management EMEA, and Dr. Andrea Winterstetter, Circular Economy Manager, outline the company’s focus on extending application lifecycles, integrating alternative raw materials, enabling design for sustainability, and supporting the development of closed material loops.

As circular economy principles gain momentum across the plastics industry, the efficient use of resources, the elimination of waste, and the creation of closed-loop systems are becoming central to innovation strategies. TPEs play a unique role in this transition. Combining the flexibility of elastomers with the processing advantages of thermoplastics, they open new pathways to reduce environmental impact throughout a product’s lifecycle.

At the heart of Kraiburg’s approach is “Design for Sustainability,” which encompasses long-lasting product design, the use of alternative raw materials, and effective end-of-life solutions. Minimizing the environmental footprint across the entire lifecycle—from raw material selection to recycling—is a key priority.

The company emphasizes that selecting the right TPE for each application is critical to ensuring durability. Given the broad variety of TPE grades available on the market, early collaboration with experienced material suppliers helps manufacturers achieve optimal performance and extend the service life of their products.

In line with global efforts to reduce dependence on fossil-based resources, Kraiburg continues to expand its portfolio of TPEs containing recycled or bio-based raw materials. These include products made with post-industrial and post-consumer recycled content, as well as mass-balanced materials. Such solutions allow customers in highly regulated industries—including direct food contact and medical applications—to gradually increase their share of alternative raw materials without compromising compliance or approvals.

Designing products for improved recyclability is another essential element of the circular economy. Because TPEs are processed thermoplastically, production waste can be efficiently reintroduced into manufacturing. Numerous studies have examined the impact of recycled content on material performance and have provided guidance for its successful integration into ongoing production.

However, the question of how TPE behaves at the end of a product’s life remains complex. While pure TPE can be remelted and reprocessed indefinitely, established recycling streams for this material class are still lacking due to its comparatively lower market volume. To address this gap, Kraiburg TPE partnered with the cyclos-HTP Institute to examine whether selected TPS (styrene-based thermoplastic elastomers) materials are compatible with common polyolefin waste streams. The study confirmed that many of the company’s TPS compounds are co-recyclable with polypropylene and HDPE, offering an important pathway for their recovery and reuse in existing recycling systems.