Recycling End-of-Life Medical Components
Customers will benefit from the new relationship by achieving their sustainability targets for high-performance UdelⓇ PSU polymers in demanding applications.
Medical equipment made using Solvay’s UdelⓇ high-performance polysulfone (PSU) thermoplastic will be recycled at the end of their useful lives in a new sustainability initiative that the company has embarked on with Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials (MCAM).
Both companies are currently investigating the implementation of logistics for recovery, recycling, and reprocessing of UdelⓇ PSU medical components, with the goal of recycled material being suitable for reuse in the original applications, in line with Solvay's One Planet sustainability roadmap and Mitsubishi's KAITEKI vision designed to preserve resources and contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products.
“The agreement with Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials is the latest demonstration of Solvay’s commitment to help customers achieve ambitious sustainability targets,” says Antonella Di Meo, Product Sustainability Manager at Solvay. “It is part of our long-term commitment to develop sustainable solutions from bio-based or recycled resources. With this project, we want to show, in a practical way, that it is possible to recycle high-value UdelⓇ PSU parts used in the medical field, yielding important savings in CO2 emissions along the production and supply chain.”
MCAM's expertise in washing and mechanically purifying the material, combined with Solvay's ability to evaluate the chemistry of the end-of-life polymer, will be used to develop a robust recycling strategy that will provide customers with materials that fully meet all specifications.
MCAM has already partnered with Solvay in reclamation and recycling of other high-performance polymers, including KetaSpireⓇ polyetheretherketone (PEEK).
“Giving back more than we take is at the heart of MCAM’s strategy and sustainability approach. We have adopted the concept of KAITEKI to help us achieve our sustainability objectives based on our core values of environmental, social and human well-being,” says Henning Bloech, Global Director Sustainable Solutions for Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials. “We fully support our partner Solvay in this effort. We look forward to maximizing the potential of our synergies to help customers tackle the global challenge of plastic waste.
MCAM's mastery of mechanical recycling, combined with Solvay's polymer chemistry expertise, will help customers overcome the unique challenges of recycling and reusing such polymers in demanding applications in support of the circular economy.
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