11.04.21
With the purpose of seeking solutions for plastic waste, Henkel has launched the “Seal the Cycle” initiative, together with ChileGlobal Ventures. The global initiative aims to find innovation for separating High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) from silicone waste. This would allow the recycling of millions of cartridges of this product that are not included in a treatment process after its use nowadays.
The company is calling on startups, SMEs, large companies, and research centers around the world, to technologically solve the challenge of separating plastic from silicone waste.
Roberto Pavez, regional development manager for Latin America at Henkel, says, "We have a great challenge with these cartridges: there is currently no way to include them in the recycling chain. At a general level, there is no awareness about the disposal of these wastes. The great barrier to recycling this plastic packaging is the existence of silicone residues in the used cartridges, which cannot be separated with the usual methods of the recyclers."
"We are aware of the need to eliminate plastic waste. Henkel markets hundreds of millions of HDPE silicone cartridges globally every year, while in Chile there are an estimated 8 to 10 million of these containers on the market. For this reason, we decided to carry out a concrete action to change the packaging life cycle, causing a positive impact on the environment," says Pavez.
The applications will be open from November 3 to December 12 at www.sealthecycle.com. The winning project will be able to access a prize of 20,000 euros and will have the possibility of executing a pilot project in Chile that could be scaled to the global market of silicone sealants together with Henkel.
Albert Lipperheide, general manager for Henkel's Consumer Adhesives business in Chile, says, “We are committed to leadership in sustainability, so we want to find a solution as soon as possible. Our goal is to work with the winning project and implement the innovation in 2022. The idea is to scale it to all places where we have a manufacturing plant, promoting the circular economy on a global scale, since these cartridges are widely used all over the planet."
Applications submitted to “Seal the Cycle” will be reviewed by subject matter experts from Henkel Global and the ChileGlobal Ventures Search and Selection team. The finalists will have the possibility of being admitted to their startup portfolio and accessing one of their financing lines.
The company is calling on startups, SMEs, large companies, and research centers around the world, to technologically solve the challenge of separating plastic from silicone waste.
Roberto Pavez, regional development manager for Latin America at Henkel, says, "We have a great challenge with these cartridges: there is currently no way to include them in the recycling chain. At a general level, there is no awareness about the disposal of these wastes. The great barrier to recycling this plastic packaging is the existence of silicone residues in the used cartridges, which cannot be separated with the usual methods of the recyclers."
"We are aware of the need to eliminate plastic waste. Henkel markets hundreds of millions of HDPE silicone cartridges globally every year, while in Chile there are an estimated 8 to 10 million of these containers on the market. For this reason, we decided to carry out a concrete action to change the packaging life cycle, causing a positive impact on the environment," says Pavez.
The applications will be open from November 3 to December 12 at www.sealthecycle.com. The winning project will be able to access a prize of 20,000 euros and will have the possibility of executing a pilot project in Chile that could be scaled to the global market of silicone sealants together with Henkel.
Albert Lipperheide, general manager for Henkel's Consumer Adhesives business in Chile, says, “We are committed to leadership in sustainability, so we want to find a solution as soon as possible. Our goal is to work with the winning project and implement the innovation in 2022. The idea is to scale it to all places where we have a manufacturing plant, promoting the circular economy on a global scale, since these cartridges are widely used all over the planet."
Applications submitted to “Seal the Cycle” will be reviewed by subject matter experts from Henkel Global and the ChileGlobal Ventures Search and Selection team. The finalists will have the possibility of being admitted to their startup portfolio and accessing one of their financing lines.