The Program
Arkema’s Virtucycle® services enable our select customers to partner with Arkema in open-loop and closed-loop initiatives for post-industrial and/or post-consumer recycling projects for its specialty polyamides and PVDF resins.
Closed-Loop: Items (and perhaps their recovered materials*) are recycled into similar items for similar applications
Open-Loop: Items (and perhaps their recovered materials*) are recycled into dissimilar items for different applications
Post-Industrial: Materials that have been industrially processed, but not turned into final products (so, usually scrapped)
Post-Consumer: Materials have been industrially processed and used as final products in end-use applications
* ISO 14021 definition: Material that would have otherwise been disposed of as waste or used for energy recovery, but has instead been collected and recovered [reclaimed] as a material input, in lieu of new primary material, for a recycling or a manufacturing process.
The Offer
Arkema plays the unique role of “matchmaker” by matching ‘source suppliers’ with ‘target consumers’ for high performance polymers:
Source Suppliers: OEM’s who have a desire for their final product and/or recovered material to be recycled
Target Consumers: OEM’s who have a desire to use recycled materials
In partnership with our processor partner Agiplast, Arkema creates a dedicated supply chain from ‘source to target’
- Closed-Loop or Open-Loop
- Post-Consumer and/or Post-Industrial
The "Match"
“Source Suppliers”
- Have a desire to improve their sustainability profile by finding a second life for their products
- Have an ability to accumulate their end-of-life products in sufficient quantity and quality
- Are already active customers for Arkema’s technical polymers
“Target Consumers”
- Have a desire to improve their sustainability profile by using polymers in a “second life” capacity
- Have an ability to use products in sufficient quantity with reasonable quality expectations
- Are already active customers for Arkema’s technical polymers
Specific supply chain details are available on a case-by-case basis by discussion with your authorized Arkema representative.
The Arkema Advantage
Arkema has several proven advantages:
- A proven legacy in high performance, high quality polymers
- Industry-leading sustainability (world leader in bio-based)
- Truly global reach – can match a source from one region, with a target in another
- Access to an enormous portfolio of industries, and applications – can match sources and targets in widely different markets
- A proven track record of growth and innovation