3. Our journey
Sustainability journey
We started at the core, with our own practices, processes and culture. Subsequently, we invested in minimizing our carbon footprint and implementing renewable energy technology. Our focus is on product sustainability and practices that drive a circular economy.
Our vision
Our vision is for a circular economy that includes both carbon neutrality and high product performance. The keys lie in circularity and in the transition to renewable raw materials and energy.
Teijin Aramid leads in this field with an Energy Transition & Circular Economy (ET&CE) team dedicated to achieving ‘close to zero’ waste and circularity well before 2050, as outlined in our Sustainability Roadmap.
By prioritizing efficient and sustainable production methods and supporting initiatives for renewable raw materials, we're taking the necessary steps toward a more sustainable future. We also take responsibility for our material flows by recycling aramids and repurposing end-of-life products.
“Diversity fuels the innovation that drives our energy transition and sustainable product development. Embracing inclusion empowers every voice to contribute to a brighter, more sustainable future for our planet.”
Jan Roos – Director Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Teijin Aramid
We need an ecosystem to succeed
Achieving aramid circularity is complex. It needs time and collective effort to resolve. We believe partnerships throughout the value chain are essential to achieving this goal.
One driver of such partnerships is the Teijin Environmental Solution Innovation Center (ESTIC) in Arnhem, the Netherlands, alongside Teijin Aramid’s Research and Innovation Center (RIC).
RIC is grounded in cutting-edge science and focused on developing safe and sustainable solutions that offer an improved environmental footprint while delivering exceptional performance and value.
Closing the circularity loop
Leading the change to circular aramid production
Sustainable production is essential, and so are our high-performance aramids. Because we’re set on becoming a net-zero company, we aim to produce zero waste and become CO2 neutral through circular production processes for all four of our products – Twaron®, Teijinconex®, Technora® and Endumax®.
Investment in recycling technologies
We’re investing in research and technologies to scale up our existing recycling routes:
- Route 1: For over 20 years, Teijin Aramid has a successful record of mechanically recycling end-of-life para-aramid products to pulp. Efforts in mechanical recycling of meta-aramids focus on recovering and recycling end of life materials to staple fiber blends with virgin and recycled content.
- Route 2: Our Research and Innovation Center (RIC) had successful yarn-to-yarn pilot trials. Now we are moving to commercial production. For meta-aramid, the prove of principle has been done at research scale.
- Route 3: Chemical recycling, also known as depolymerization, means breaking down the aramid polymer molecules into small chemical building blocks. We then reintroduce these into our polymerization factory to produce new polymers. Another alternative is to use bio-based raw materials or recycled plastic produced by our suppliers as building blocks. The ultimate goal is to replace all fossil-based resources with sustainable ones.
Partnering for circularity
Partnering for circularity means building alliances in product redesign, take- back logistics and prepping the materials for recycling.
Recycling: Aramid is too good to waste
Building successful Sustainable Value Chain Alliances (SVCA) means connecting all business partners, from customers to end-users and recycling hubs.
CONTACT us if you would like to join our recycling efforts: recycling@teijinaramid.com
Recycling hubs are crucial for the raw material supply of our recycling plant, from sourcing to preparing the material for production again.
Long-term contracts with these hubs create stability in quality and supply. In addition, by increasing the intake of end-of-life material, we reduce waste and lower our carbon footprint. Together with our partners, we’ve already increased the intake of end-of-life aramid material by 50% compared to 2021.
Join us today
We’re looking for partners to join us in our sustainability purpose, who can prepare aramid waste for shipment to our Dutch facilities, ready to start their new life.
