circular economy

Recycable Material

Products made of plastic make our lives easier and safer. However, too much plastic is still ending up in the environment. In order to solve this problem, we need better recycling systems worldwide and a genuinely circular economy. New research projects are giving us cause for hope.

Data Mining

What will they become?

What happens to the plastic after it has been used?

Opinion

Closing the circle

Transformation from linear to circular will be a key part of achieving climate targets. To make it work we need cross-industry cooperation, innovation, and smart policy making, as well as a good balance between the economics, the environment, and quality of life.

Circularity

How plastic recycling works

Only a small proportion of plastic is recycled today, and there are a whole range of solutions for this.

Evonik researcher Jutta Malter and her team are working on efficient processes for PET recycling.

Circularity

Long live plastic

Chemical recycling can recover even plastics that previ- ously would have landed in an incineration plant or a landfill, depending on the country. Evonik is working to develop a process for very dirty PET—and is making it possible to recycle entirely new material flows

Interview

Pathways to the circular economy

What properties should a material have in order to be optimally recyclable? What is the true value of plastic waste? And where do we need prohibitions? A debate about pathways toward a more sustainable plastics economy.

Thyssenkrupp blast furnace in Duisburg at night

Climate Protection

Carbon2Chem: Raw materials from exhaust gases

Using the emissions of the steel industry to produce plastics: That’s the longterm goal of Evonik and its partners in the collaborative project Carbon2Chem. To reach this goal, they are working with higher alcohols such as ethanol—and catalysts that are being developed in Hanau.

View of risiege old tire mountains from above.

Circularity

Tire Test

More than half of all vehicle tires worldwide are eventually disposed of in landfills or incinerated. However, it would be much better if the old rubber could be reused in road construction. Special additives make the resulting asphalt more durable and environmentally friendly. A life cycle assessment confirms this with data

Biosolutions

A NATURAL TALENT

For a long time, lignin was considered a waste product of cellulose production. This wood component was mainly burnt to generate energy. However, this natural raw material holds hidden talents—as a component of high performance polymers.

Foresight

Open to Mono

Most products for everyday use consist of a mix of materials. That increases their practical utility, but it makes recycling more difficult. Especially for plastics, a switch to monomaterials could make it easier to recycle products—an important step toward a circular economy

Schafberg on Lake Wolfgangsee in Austria

Evonik Country

Austria: Toward New Horizons

It’s no coincidence that Austria is called a “Land of Mountains” in its national anthem: More than 60 percent of its national territory consists of Alpine mountain regions. Mozart’s native country is also distinguished by a rich cultural landscape, as well as companies whose innovations are propelling this republic into the future. Evonik is represented in Austria by four locations