The world’s largest chemical company joins a Royal Society of Chemistry initiative to make better use of unrecovered polymers in liquid formulations (PLFs).
Unilever, Croda, Scott Bader, Crown Paints and Afton Chemical are among those already signed up to the RSC’s initiative, which aims to create a circular economy for a group of thousands of chemicals called polymers in liquid formulations, often referred to as PLFs.
Practical uses
PLFs have a number of practical uses and are found in millions of products, from paints, adhesives and sealants to fertilisers, lubricants and cosmetics. They are also used in water treatment, ink production and household cleaning products such as washing detergent.
However, there are very few ways to recycle PLFs, but with more than 36.25million tonnes not recovered after use every year – enough to fill Wembley Stadium 32 times – the task-force’s aim is to develop ways to recover, reuse and remake these materials as well as developing biodegradable or naturally sourced alternatives.