SABIC, DSM partners to create Dyneema from certified circular polymers

SABIC and Royal DSM, a worldwide science-based business specializing in Nutrition, Health, and Sustainable Living, have announced a partnership to develop new Dyneema® products utilizing certified circular polymers from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio of circular solutions.

In this pilot project, DSM will use SABIC’s certified circular ethylene to produce Dyneema®, an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE) that will be used in both a sailing rope and a pelagic trawl net application. The circular ethylene from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio employs mixed plastic waste as a feedstock, which helps to save fossil resources while also preventing precious plastic from becoming waste and avoiding carbon emissions compared to incineration.

SABIC’s certified circular materials are made through advanced recycling, which regenerates difficult-to-recycle polymers that would otherwise be headed for landfill or incineration. It breaks them down into simple chemical building components, which are then utilized as an alternative feedstock to make high-performance plastics that are similar to virgin materials — in this case, certified circular polyethylene.

Abdullah Al-Otaibi, General Manager of Engineering Thermoplastics & Market Solutions for Petrochemicals at SABIC, said that this pilot program with DSM is another major step closer to closing the loop and increasing the recyclability of materials produced for high-stake industries.

He added that SABIC is dedicated to inventing and collaborating with partners to transform the way plastic is manufactured and used. They believe that collaboration is critical to moving forward and developing new solutions that contribute to the creation of a circular economy in which they use natural resources wisely and responsibly.

SABIC has started selling its certified circular products to prominent clients and converters since early 2019, allowing them to build a wide range of innovative and sophisticated applications ranging from food contact packaging to consumer and hygiene goods using more sustainable materials.

Jan-Lodewijk Lindemulder, President of DSM Protective Materials, said that this achievement is a major milestone on the path toward their objective of creating a fully circular Dyneema. They’re able to considerably decrease the environmental effect of the world’s strongest fiber by collaborating with partners from across the value chain – and they will continue to look for methods to reduce and eliminate waste.