JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #136 - September/October 2020 - 46

FEATURE
durable composites

Upcycling plastic bottles into
value-added composite applications

Alfredo Ayza,
Product Manager EMEA UPR -
INEOS Composites

neos's approch to conducting
business stimulates performance,
efficiency and sustainability within
the Group, helping the company stay
reliable and competitive while creating
new opportunities to reduce energy
and waste. As a global chemical company, it has an important role to play in
addressing the challenges the industry
is facing today. Looking for new products and new ways of doing things that
overcome the technical challenges of
sustainability keeps the business one
step ahead. And the recently-acquired
INEOS Composites business is no
exception.
Composites and sustainability
Sustainability is becoming an ever more
compelling argument in the composite
material selection process. Customers
are asking more and more about the impact of products and processes on the

The problem of plastic waste in the environment

For every drum of INEOS PET-based resin, 1,800 used plastic
bottles are diverted from landfills and oceans. This is the
contribution of the INEOS Composites business towards the
creation of a circular economy in which products and materials
are recovered and regenerated at the end of their service life.

environment. Composites are indeed
the preferred material of choice for
many industry applications due to their
strength, light weight, corrosion resistance and durability, which typically results in a more sustainable material. In
fact, sustainability in their use-phase is
the key driver for the selection of composites over other traditional materials.
As key players in this industry, there is
much more the company can do to further exploit the sustainability benefits
of composites. In addition to reducing
the environmental impact embedded
in the functionalities of composite materials, there are other elements along
the life cycle of the product subject
to sustainability improvement. For
example, the viability of introducing
recyclable materials, such as recycled
plastics, in the manufacturing process
of unsaturated polyester resins.
The plastic waste alarm
Why recycled plastics? The world is
finally waking up to the problem of
plastic waste. Researchers estimate that
more than 8 billion tons of plastic have
been produced since the early 1950s.
Between 60 and 70% of that plastic has
ended up in either landfills or fragile
ecosystems. It is evident that the current
system of production, consumption
and disposal has become unsustainable
and it is imperative for everyone, from
individuals to large organizations, to

jec composites magazine / N°136 September - October 2020

rethink the way we design and consume
our products. By reducing the amount
of waste produced and reusing existing
"recyclable" materials, we can all make
a difference in conserving natural
resources and preserving the future of
new generations.
INEOS Composites understands the
challenge and wants to be part of the
solution by enabling a circular economy environment in which materials
constantly flow around closed systems
rather than being used once and wasted.
Creating viable markets for r-PET
Guided by the expertise and vast experience of its R&D group, the company
developed a revolutionary family of
recycled PET-based unsaturated polyester. For every drum of INEOS PET
resin, approximately 1,800 used plastic
bottles are diverted from landfills and
oceans. In 2019, this initiative already
saved close to 55 million used plastic
bottles across Europe.
Customers also benefit from this
innovative solution. Providing an
added-value recycling element to the
composite part makes the composite
material even further competitive in
times where markets and organizations
are transitioning towards more sustainable product solutions. Furthermore,
unsaturated polyester resins based on
recycled PET are showing a range of

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #136 - September/October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #136 - September/October 2020