Supporting the transition to a circular economy
Next generation plastics
As a leading high performance polymers/plastics manufacturer, we are conscious of the great opportunity we have in enabling a better, more sustainable future. We are convinced that a long-term solution for a sustainable plastics industry is the circular economy. That is why we want to support this development with sustainable technology and product solutions and contribute to a positive environmental balance.
Focus on recyclability, reusability and reduction of CO2 footprint
In this way, we help our customers to positively influence their own sustainability.
Along with producing high-performance plastics that are needed in important industries, we work with our customers to increase the sustainability of the end-products created with our materials. Some of our work in this area involves: helping customers produce electric vehicle components with higher efficiency, designing more effective materials that are crucial for the adaptation of hydrogen power, and enabling new technologies that reduce weight and waste – such as 3D printing.
We are taking significant steps to reduce the impact of our products on the environment.
One importane lever is our carbon footprint. We are reducing CO2 emissions by using renewable energy, sourced from biomethane made from waste, and alternative feedstocks made from bio-, bio-circular or circular sources in a mass balance approach.
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Our sustainable polyamide product families can help you further reduce your product’s CO2 emissions. We are constantly increasing and developing our portfolio of sustainable products for the plastics industry. |
Our sustainable polyamid product portfolio: eCO | RFP | Terra
Saving fossil resources
We are supporting the sustainable transformation of the chemical industry. One of our focus areas is the use of alternative feedstocks to save fossil resources.
The eCO product line name represents our desire to eliminate CO2 emissions in the production chain. Our eCO products are produced using only renewable power and by deriving 50% of our feedstock from sustainably sourced raw material.
There are three classes of such feedstocks. Bio based raw materials such as vegetable oils, bio circular raw materials such as residues from forestry, agriculture or food residues, and circular raw materials such as end of life tyres, end of life plastics.
Although we have changed the feedstock in our production. We offer products of the same quality and highest performance to our customers. At the same time, we are saving fossil resources. This is possible using a mass balance process.
The mass balance approach - enabling the circular economy
Mass balancing is an industry approach used to accurately account for the renewable and non-renewable raw materials in a production process. Throughout all stages of production, the proportional allocation of renewable resources can be verified and calculated. This method allows us to offer customers greater options in measurable and more sustainable solutions. Our mass balance approach is independently audited and certified by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification initiative (ISCC) and the organization for sustainable biomass certification, known as REDCert.
Reduced CO2 emission up to 40 percent
As a complement to our eCO Series we are offering VESTAMID® RFP - RFP stands for “reduces footprint”.
By harnessing green power and biomethane from waste to generate steam and heat in our CHP plants, we can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40% from our products today. In addition to its lower carbon footprint, our VESTAMID® RFP line retains the exact same high-quality properties of our standard VESTAMID® product range.
Better life cycle assessment also compared to bio-based polyamide
Since 2009, Evonik has also marketed biobased VESTAMID® molding compounds, which are based on monomers obtained from castor oil. In comparison, VESTAMID® RFP shows a significantly improved eco-balance: the carbon footprint is reduced by 40 percent, while water consumption and land use are more than 99 percent lower.
HIGH PERFORMANCE BIOBASED POLYAMIDES
We are offering bio-based polymers under the trade name VESTAMID® Terra. There are currently two products within this new group of polyamides available that are partially or entirely based on renewable feedstocks: VESTAMID® Terra HS (PA610) and VESTAMID® Terra DS (PA1010).
The monomers used in the Vestamid® Terra line are derived from castor bean oil. The VESTAMID® Terra products are available in pellet form as a base polymer.
Our expertise is to provide tailored solutions for specific application fields. This has led to the development of a wide range of compounds which can contain, e.g. various stabilizers, flame retardants, fiber reinforcements, colouring agents, etc.
VESTAMID® Terra HS
VESTAMID® Terra HS is partly based on renewable raw materials and fills the performance gap between the commodity and the niche long-chain nylons.
VESTAMID® Terra HS is the polycondensation product of 1,6-hexamethylene diamine (H) and 1,10-decanedioic acid (sebacic acid—S). Because sebacic acid is derived from castor oil, VESTAMID® Terra HS is a material that is partly based on renewable resources. Technically speaking, VESTAMID® Terra HS occupies a position between the high-performance polyamide 612 and the standard polyamides PA 6 and PA 66. VESTAMID® Terra HS is semicrystalline and thus has high mechanical resistance and chemical stability. Due to its higher melting point, VESTAMID® Terra HS has the highest heat deflection temperature of VESTAMID® Terra series.
VESTAMID® Terra DS
VESTAMID® Terra DS is 100 percent natural and in many applications outperforms the niche long-chain nylons.
VESTAMID® Terra DS is the polycondensation product of 1,10-decamethylene diamine (D) and 1,10- decanedioic acid (sebacic acid—S). Because both monomers are derived from castor oil, VESTAMID® Terra DS is a material that is based 100 percent on natural resources. Technically speaking, VESTAMID® Terra DS occupies a position between the high performance long-chain polyamides such as PA 12 and PA 1212 and the standard polyamides PA 6 und PA 66, which have
a shorter chain length. VESTAMID® Terra DS is semicrystalline, which is the reason for its high mechanical resistance and chemical stability. It absorbs only little water. As a result its mechanical properties vary little when exposed to changing environmental humidity, and the material features a high dimensional stability.
Despite its crystallinity, VESTAMID® Terra DS can be used to manufacture films with good transparency. Compounds based on VESTAMID® Terra DS have high melting points. In turn, high heat deflection temperatures result, which can be advantageous for some applications. Because of its chemical and physical properties, and the plant origin of its monomers, VESTAMID® Terra DS is an interesting addition to conventional longer-chain polyamides, and it also meets the demand for materials made from renewable raw materials.
Key benefits of our polyamide products
- Saves fossil resources e.g., by alternative raw materials based on sustainable sources
- Mass-balance approach allows for a fast implementation
- Identical product properties and well-known excellent quality
- VESTAMID® grades with a reduced footprint (RFP)
- Carbon footprint reduced by 40% on average using renewable energy
- Identical product properties and well-known excellent quality
- Up to 100% bio based
- Biobased polyamide 6.10 and polyamide 10.10 from castor oil
- Saves fossil resources
Additionally, we’re also focusing heavily on the recyclability and reusability of products and resources. Key projects in this area include designing single-material products, like car seats and toothbrushes, which can be recycled without the difficult and inefficient process of first separating the different plastic component groups.
