DSM and Clariter partner to pursue chemical recycling solution

DSM and Clariter partner to pursue chemical recycling solution for Dyneema®-based end-products

Royal DSM, a global science-based company in nutrition, health and sustainable living, and Clariter, an international clean-tech company, have announced a strategic partnership to pursue a next-generation chemical recycling solution for products based on DSM’s Dyneema®, an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber.

As a first step, sample products—including ropes, nets and ballistic materials made with Dyneema—were successfully converted at Clariter’s pilot plant in Poland, demonstrating the recyclability potential of Dyneema and underlining the active commitment of DSM Protective Materials to shape a more sustainable world.

In line with its ambitious sustainability targets and following the successful launch of bio-based Dyneema (mass balance), DSM Protective Materials is actively pursuing reuse and recycling solutions for end-of-life Dyneema-based products. To drive technical recycling solutions, DSM Protective Materials and Clariter partnered to test the feasibility of using Dyneema as a feedstock in Clariter’s chemical recycling process. Sample products made with Dyneema were used in Clariter’s tests at its pilot plant in Poland. The positive results confirm the technical viability of transforming Dyneema-based end-products into high-value, industrial grade, product families: oils, waxes and solvents via Clariter’s patented 3-step chemical recycling process. These can be further used as ingredients to manufacture new end- and consumer products.

DSM Protective Materials and Clariter will continue to drive the initiative to shape a more sustainable world. Specifically, building on the success of the lab-scale trial, Clariter has scheduled commercial-scale trials at its facility in South Africa for 2021, with the aim to use Dyneema-derived feedstock in its full-scale European plants that will be built in the coming years.