Israeli cleantech developer UBQ Materials announced a new partnership with Resirene, the largest polystyrene resin producer in Mexico. The collaboration is set to produce the first worldwide, sustainable circular grade high-impact polystyrene compound with UBQ used.
Following extensive R&D trials and testing to develop the new material with UBQ™️, Resirene has already started to sample the new material with clients. According to the company, initial results suggest that customers find the added environmental value meaningful, even when one accounts for the variable of product costs.
Resirene, a large polymers producer, serves numerous market segments, including polymer applications for food & beverage, healthcare and medical products, electronics, construction and advertising, among others. UBQ will be used in higher-value items ranging from multi-use razor handles to signage.
Sergio Paredes Castañeda, CEO of Resirene, foresees a demand for sustainable products.
“The plastic-free movement, including government regulations banning products such as single-use straws and plastic bags, has propelled the polystyrene market to adapt and evolve,” said Paredes Castañeda. “There is now a continuum of sustainability within polystyrenes, ranging from starch-containing products to those made with recycled polystyrene. We have reached a new level in terms of reducing our product’s environmental impact with UBQ™️ inside, thereby allowing our customers to jointly achieve sustainable loans, enabling the polystyrene industry to strive as a whole towards circular economies.”
UBQ Materials converts unsorted household and municipal landfill-destined waste into UBQ, a climate-positive, cost-competitive replacement for plastic. UBQ is a bio-based drop-in material that can be incorporated into standard manufacturing processes without additional machinery or materials. The production of UBQ decreases the landfilling of waste, preventing methane emissions and curtailing the leakage of toxic substances into the soil.
The company’s chairman and co-CEO, Albert Douer, said that until now, products were manufactured, used, and discarded – not a cycle at all, but rather a straight line, making the ‘‘life cycle” of products a misnomer.
“Our goal is to close the loop on the production-to-waste process and create a circular economy that takes the seemingly endless accumulation of waste and converts it into a resource,” said Douer. “This partnership with Resirene allows us to incorporate our climate-positive thermoplastic into various products, offsetting emissions and offering a viable end-of-life solution for waste.”