28th July Earth Overshoot Day. From that day onwards, we exceed the earth’s limits. – That’s because it’s the day when the consumption or demand for resources surpasses the capacity of the earth.

From that date onwards, the earth itself is no longer able to replenish the resources that are consumed. This is a problem that has dramatic long-term consequences for us, our future and the continued existence of our planet.

Therefore, we urgently need solutions to ensure that this day is postponed until later in the year – and that in the long term, it no longer exists.

Is less consumption the solution? The first phase of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic showed us that this approach is generally effective. In 2020, Earth Overshoot Day took place some 21 days later! Unfortunately, it is now clear that the trend of 2020 has not continued. We are now at the same level as we were before the pandemic started. The answer to the above question is therefore “yes and no”, as less consumption can and does help. Its effect is limited, though, and does not offer realistic perspectives for the future in the face of the steady growth of the population and the needs of a modern society. It is more important for us to adapt the ways in which we produce and consume. We have to become independent of the use of finite resources. But how can we succeed?

Earth Overshoot Day and its significance

Earth Overshoot Day marks the day of the year on which we humans have used up the Earth’s finite resources. From this point on, the earth is unable to renew those resources by itself. And even worse: this situation is exacerbated by the fact that we simultaneously create waste, such as carbon dioxide, and release it into the atmosphere.

Here´s how the 2022 Earth Overshoot Day was calculated exactly.

Chemicals: an important key to the solution

Change can succeed. But how? By recycling resources or replacing them with bio-based alternatives, i.e. renewable resources, in the medium and long term.

And this is where chemicals come into play! Chemicals are one of the important keys to becoming independent of fossil resources in many areas of life.

Why? Because in the chemical industry – including at LANXESS – numerous bright minds are working on new and improved products and processes. For example, on using base chemical materials made from renewable resources in products.

At the same time, we are participating in the further development of the various recycling techniques. This includes both mechanical and chemical recycling processes. And we are continuing to use the resulting resources.

 

A brief overview over the procedures

• Bio-based resources
  Many basic substances and resources that were previously produced by petroleum synthesis, for example can now be produced by bio-synthesis. And without having a negative impact on the quality. After all, at the molecular level the chemicals are the same. This means huge savings in the consumption of fossil resources, and helps us manufacture products more sustainably.

• Chemical recycling
  Various methods are used to break down the recycled material into its chemical building blocks. That means: with chemical recycling, we can actually “reverse" chemical reactions and thereby obtain starting materials for new products.

• Mechanical recycling
  The use of innovative chemicals also plays an important role in mechanical recycling, so that the best-known recycling process is improved even further. For example, by adding newly developed chemicals from LANXESS, it is possible to improve the recycling rates of plastic packaging materials.

Modern resources for sustainable products

LANXESS is working with its partners to conduct research into innovative recycling methods. This includes the “Polystyrene Loop” project, for example.

This innovative procedure allows for the full recycling of used polystyrene-based flame-retardant insulation boards. Not only is the styrene recovered from the polymer, but the bromine contained in the flame retardant is as well. The quality of the recycled polymer is equivalent to that of the original material. And the recovered bromine can also be reused in order to produce sustainable flame retardants.

To this end, the first recycling plant entered operations recently in Terneuzen, the Netherlands. It will manufacture 3,000 tons of recyclable polystyrene from PS demolition material while recovering bromine from flame retardants.

 

bp and LANXESS join forces

High-performance plastics are an important basis for many sustainable products – such as electric vehicles. It is important for us and our customers to make the production of this valuable material sustainable. Among others, to thereby also ensure the manufacturing process of the end product with lower CO₂ emissions.

Here, in addition to modern recycling processes, the use of bio-based resources is a key lever. In this context, we have entered into a strategic partnership with the energy company bp for the use of sustainable resources during the production of high-performance plastics. Since the fourth quarter of 2021, bp has been supplying our production site in Antwerp (Belgium) with sustainably-produced cyclohexane. Our longstanding partner uses bio-based or bio-circular resources for its production. These include rapeseed oil and other types of biomass, for example. The sustainable origin of the resources is certified according to the rules of ISCC Plus (“International Sustainability and Carbon Certification”).

There are various types and composites of Durethan^® that are particularly popular in vehicle construction because of their technical properties – robust, heat-resistant, very easy to process, etc.

The new LANXESS Durethan^® Scopeblue is the first product of its kind in which 92% of the resources are from sustainable alternatives. Durethan^® Scopeblue is a composite material with glass fibers as an additional component. The glass fibers make it particularly strong and resilient.

92% of the resources used in Durethan^® Scopeblue have now been replaced with sustainable alternatives. This applies to both the polyamide 6 content and the glass fiber content. This is a top value among glass fiber reinforced plastics.

 

The next goal: 100% sustainable plastic

The 92% sustainable resources in Durethan® Scopeblue products aren’t the end of the story. It is likely that the figure will be 100% soon. With these innovative products, we will help automotive manufacturers to meet their environmental targets, for example.

LANXESS and sustainability

The following graphic illustrates how important the topic of sustainability is at LANXESS today. It shows that LANXESS generated approximately 87% of its sales in 2021 with products that meet our sustainability requirements. Only 13% of our sales revenue was attributable to products that do not (yet) fully meet our sustainability requirements.

The four LANXESS sustainability categories

• Products in the Energizer category offer an outstanding sustainability performance. They fulfil our exceptionally high sustainability requirements in terms of most criteria. They do not have any characteristics that give cause for concern. Energizers are manufactured with a very low to minimal environmental impact. These products are in increasing demand in the processing industry. 30% of all LANXESS products now fulfil these requirements!

• Performers are products that are sustainable according to the current state of the art. They fulfil or exceed today’s sustainability requirements in many categories. Performers are manufactured with a low to middling environmental impact and have societal benefits.

• Transitioner products are products that do not yet meet all the sustainability requirements of LANXESS. We monitor these products and actively manage them through improvement measures, to reduce their environmental impact and make the products more sustainable, for example.

• Roadmap: This category contains products that have considerable concerns in terms of sustainability. We manage these products in our roadmap process, in which we assess whether critical substances in the respective chemical end products can be replaced with safer and sustainable alternatives.

At the heart of the transformation process

The bottom line: The situation isn’t as hopeless as it seems! A turnaround is definitely possible. We have already achieved several milestones. At LANXESS and in the chemical industry as a whole, we are working extremely hard to make products safer and better. At the same time, we are making increasing use of renewable resources so that we are less dependent on fossil fuels.

In this way, the chemical industry in general, and we as a company, can make a tangible contribution to ensuring that Earth Overshoot Day eventually becomes history.