»ECOCIRCLE IS OUR COMPANY-WIDE, CROSS-BUSINESS AND CROSS-TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM FOR COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS TO SUPPORT THE TRANSITION OF THE ONE-WAY PLASTICS VALUE CHAIN TO A CIRCULAR PLASTICS ECONOMY.«
Richard Haldimann, Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer
Customer Collaboration
We believe that collaboration is the key to success.
The solution for a circular plastics economy is to minimize waste and resources and maximize the amount of plastics staying in the loop. This requires collaboration across the entire plastics value chain, with partners who know the different steps in the value chain, from the design of products and their purpose, all the way to plastic recycling solutions and their potential to convert them into new high-quality products.
For more effective collaboration we have created a platform bringing all businesses, technologies, regulatory and advocacy associated with plastics across Clariant together. We use this platform, for joint projects with customers and partners and combine all relevant competencies in one place. This enables better circular plastics solutions for our collaboration partners.
Value chain co-creation
We support the early incubation of new technology concepts.
Clariant believes that collaboration and co-creation are key to success. We are dedicated to working with our customers, partners, and scientists to identify solutions, which will deliver positive sustainable change on a way to a circular plastic economy.
New approaches, new technologies, as well as new collaborations of many players in the plastics value chain need to be established quickly. This may include recyclers, resin manufacturers, compounders, brand owners or retailers. That’s why we talk about a Value Chain Co-Creation.
To creatively uncover new opportunities and to rapidly move to implement them, we use agile innovation platforms such as our “iGarage”.
With this approach we dedicate and co-locate selected experts for a certain period of time with the task of creating a business solution for a specific and well-defined innovation challenge. Experienced coaches support the teams in thinking creatively, market centric, and entrepreneurial, while rapidly developing a real business option. It is a highly effective way to create new and innovative solutions. This approach is ideally suited to find new circular plastics solutions together with several value chain partners.
Technology
We have dedicated resources and experts across all Clariant core technologies in our EcoCircle Centers of Excellence for specific circular plastics topics.
Sustainability is one of Clariant’s strategic pillars. We are aware of the responsibility we have as an industry and believe that a complete circular economy can only be realized with collaborative solutions.
We are investing in EcoCircle Centers of Excellence, with dedicated experts as well as specialized equipment, to find the right solution to tackle specific circular plastics challenges. The setup of our new EcoCircle Centers of Excellence is designed to host experts from across the company and to foster Customer Collaborations as well as Value Chain Co-Creation among the different industry stakeholders for a joint development of solutions. The first Center of Excellence is focused on developing solutions for mechanical recycling such as our NIR detectable black and is located in Pogliano, near Milan, Italy.
We have a dedicated team of experts focused on finding the right specialty chemicals to tackle the challenges of a circular plastics economy – get in touch with us.
Distinction
Products with outstanding circular advantages will carry the circle designator.
We develop specialty chemicals with the primary purpose to enable circular plastics solutions. Such products will receive a Circle designator after rigorous assessment. Our special approach with EcoCircle goes beyond a product focus, looking at the entire value chain to identify the most sustainable solution for a circular plastics economy.
Our solutions support the principles of the circular economy:
Reduce: Enhancing plastic properties to minimize polymer usage while maintaining product functionality.
Reuse: Extending plastics lifetime through light stabilization, antimicrobials and durable colors.
Recycling: Maximizing recyclability and upcycling potential through selection of best additives for design4recycling and process aids in cleaning and purification steps.
The EcoCircle platform allows us to draw on the right expertise and find the right product.
Check out our first designated product supporting the circular plastic economy: AddWorks-PKG-906-Circle
