Royal DSM, SABIC and UPM Biofuels, a leading producer of sustainable raw materials, have announced a partnership that will help to reduce the environmental footprint of Dyneema fibre. The collaboration will see Dyneema transition to bio-based feedstock leveraging SABIC’s Trucircle solutions for certified renewable products. “As such, DSM is delivering on its commitment to improve the sustainability footprint of Dyneema moving towards a circular, bio-based economy,” DSM said.

In December 2019, DSM announced ambitious sustainability targets for its Dyneema high performance fibres. This new partnership represents an important step in realizing the goal of sourcing at least 60% of its feedstock from bio-based raw material by 2030. The transition to bio-based feedstock will maintain the unique properties of Dyneema, enabling customers to adopt a more sustainable solution without compromising process efficiency or final product performance.

The bio based Dyneema material will be carrying the globally recognized ISCC Plus certification and will not require re-qualification of downstream products. Bio-based Dyneema will be available from April 2020.

UPM Biofuels produces bio-based feedstock UPM BioVerno from the residue of the pulping process. This is then processed by SABIC to make renewable ethylene under its Trucircle umbrella of solutions. Trucircle includes certified renewable products, specifically resins and chemicals from bio-based feedstock that, the company says, are not in competition with the food chain and help to reduce carbon emissions.

According to DSM, by applying a mass balancing approach**, it is then able to create bio-based Dyneema  fibre that delivers consistent durability and performance with a reduced environmental impact. “The new partnership underlines DSM’s commitment to working closely with partners and suppliers to realize a more sustainable value chain,” DSM said.

Wilfrid Gambade, President of DSM Protective Materials: “By partnering with SABIC and UPM Biofuels, we are taking the next important step in our sustainability journey, and driving our industry’s transition from conventional to renewable resources. By improving the impact of our materials, together with our partners, we are helping to protect both people and the environment they live in. In this way, we are using our bright science to deliver brighter living.”

Mark Vester, Circular Economy Leader at SABIC, commented: “We firmly believe that true collaboration and innovation will drive positive change. With our Trucircle initiative, we are more committed than ever to closing the loop on used plastics in 2020. We are delighted to be partnering with DSM and UPM Biofuels as a further step towards transforming the value chain and creating a circular, transparent, and sustainable economy.”

Juha Rainio, Sales and Marketing Director at UPM Biofuels added: “We are committed to replacing fossil-based feedstocks with renewable ones. This collaboration with SABIC and DSM is an excellent example of a future beyond fossils, which is a key driver for UPM going forward.”

**Mass balance accounting is a well-known approach that has been designed to trace the flow of materials through a complex value chain. The mass balance approach provides a set of rules for how to allocate the bio-based and/or recycled content to different products to be able to claim and market the content as ‘bio’-based or ‘recycled’-based. Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation (Mass Balance White Paper).

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