Swedish bio-based polymer producer Lignin Industries plans to scale up production after signing a partnership deal with a UK-based compounder and distributor.
Following five years of R&D into a viable plastics alternative for large-scale production, Stockholm-based Lignin Industries is looking to Hellyar Plastics to scale up the commercialisation of its patented technology and bring its bio-based plastics to new markets.
Lignin Industries’ Renol bio-based plastic is developed from lignin, believed to be the second most abundant organic material on Earth.
As a feedstock for bio-based materials, lignin is considered a secondary material, as it is non-competing with food production.
Lignin Industries sources its lignin from the forestry and agriculture industries. Its scalability is currently not utilised, the company said, as more than 700 million tonnes of lignin is routinely incinerated or otherwise discarded or used for low value applications per year.
When incorporated within plastics, the lifecycle and value chain of lignin is extended, and it delivers emission reductions, Lignin Industries added.
Having already been working together for 18 months, Hellyar has incorporated Renol within acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and PP applications at its factory in Whitstable.
Customers have products containing Renol in advanced development stages for sectors such as domestic goods and construction, which are due to launch shortly. E-commerce bags are another key application.
Renol is said to be recyclable in open recycling streams, while being flexible in terms of blend percentages.
“Lignin Industries is reshaping the future of plastics through the power of lignin – all without the industry needing to invest in new ways of working,” said Lignin Industries chief executive Fredrik Malmfors.
“The infrastructure exists already to deploy Renol at-scale. It works within existing processes and pathways with great potential to mass commercialisation. Hellyar’s dual role as both compounder and distributor means we can tap into its deep network and let customers test Renol within their products before launching to market.”
“We have been particularly impressed by Renol repeatedly performing to the exceptional high standards required by the industry,” said Hellyar Plastics chairman David Hellyar. “As our first customers are poised to bring products to the market that incorporate Lignin Industries’ patented technology, we expect the wider industry to recognise Renol’s place in the market, as a scientifically backed means of reducing emissions, while meeting the industry’s rigorous standards.”
