#Recycling / Circular Economy

2020-07-02

Teijin Aramid’s wants to “close the chain”

Teijin Aramid has today published its 2019 Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Report. The report outlines Teijin Aramid’s recent progress as it strives for a sustainable and fully circular aramid value chain. Teijin Aramid takes responsibility for improving the entire value chain across different industries, including aviation, automotive, and construction.

With the support of the new Energy Transition & Circular Economy department, the company is now exploring new technologies and partnerships more deeply, to achieve its sustainability and circularity goals. Teijin Aramid invites its suppliers, customers, and end users to join to help “close the chain”.

Clear progress on sustainability

As detailed in the new HSE Report, in 2019 Teijin Aramid avoided the emission of more than 215,000 tons of CO2 due to the use of Twaron®, a high-performance aramid, in applications such as tires and conveyor belts. The company’s solution helps to make these applications considerably lighter, saving energy and other resources. Teijin Aramid also met its Energy Efficiency Plan (EEP) targets for 2017-2020, having achieved a 6.2% energy saving across its manufacturing locations in the Netherlands during this period.

Collaborating for a sustainable value chain

Teijin Aramid’s progress on sustainability has been made possible through the combination of its long-standing internal efforts and strong external partnerships with customers and suppliers. To build on this, the company is seeking intensified collaboration across the value chain to minimize impact on the environment, use less energy, and generate less waste and emissions. The sustainability efforts are implemented across three levels: energy efficiency and energy transition, which contribute to sustainability across industries, and a new level, “closing the chain”. This third level refers to the collaborative ownership Teijin Aramid takes for recycling products at end-of-life and giving new life to products, again and again. Teijin Aramid’s ultimate goal is a fully sustainable, circular aramid chain with a finite use of resources on the basis of 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Peter ter Horst, newly appointed CEO of Teijin Aramid: “Sustainability has historically been embedded in our company and continues to drive Teijin Aramid’s approach to product development, innovation, and collaboration. We care about our impact on the planet and how this affects future generations, and we seek to actively contribute to a better world. We’ve made great progress by reaching our Energy Efficiency Plan targets and avoiding more and more greenhouse gas emissions during use of our products. Now, our new Energy Transition & Circular Economy department is looking for other innovative ways to improve. This means our ambitions have grown, and for that, we need more collaboration across industries. Together we can close the chain and make the industry circular.”

Exploring new innovations in recycling

Teijin Aramid is meeting its responsibilities as a market leader and frontrunner by testing new methods for recycling aramids. Recycling has been in place at Teijin Aramid for more than 15 years. It involves reprocessing used aramid yarn recovered from end-of-life applications for reuse. However, reusing of end-of-life aramids can be challenging, as used materials are often only available with extreme differences in composition and quality. Teijin Aramid is now exploring a range of new never-used-before techniques for aramid recycling, to determine the most effective options for its needs.

Teijin Aramid’s 2019 HSE report is available at:

http://www.teijinaramid.com/en/sustainability.

Teijin announces availability of DPP-compliant products aligned with Europe’s ESPR Environmental Regulation

Teijin Limited announced today that it has started rolling out initiatives to enable aramid fibers and carbon fibers to be accompanied by Digital Product Passport (DPP) technology, which enhances supply chain transparency by verifying the origins of materials and supporting sustainability claims. The company is using the supply chain traceability system from Netherlands-based Circularise B.V., in which Teijin has invested since November 2024, to develop DPPs for each product.

Teijin Carbon showcases new eco-friendly Tenax Next™ R2S 513 6mm short carbon fiber at JEC World 2025

Teijin Carbon, a leading manufacturer of carbon fiber products, is presenting its latest development in sustainable materials at JEC World 2025 (hall 6, G22). New Tenax Next™ R2S 513 6mm is a short carbon fiber product in rice-shaped form for reinforcing thermoplastic compounds that not only offers exceptional performance characteristics but also reinforces the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility and circularity.

Teijin to invest in Circularise B.V. and adopt its supply chain traceability platform to promote the Circular Economy

Teijin Limited announced today that it will invest in Circularise B.V., a company based in The Hague, Netherlands, which develops product traceability management systems using blockchain technology. Teijin will also implement Circularise’s software to improve visibility into its global supply chain. Circularise’s proprietary “Smart Questioning”(*) solution, which utilizes Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) technology, provides both anonymity and transparency to ensure a highly reliable product traceability system.

Selenis to double capacity in Portugal by Q3 2027 - Accelerating the Global transition to circular and low-carbon polyesters

Selenis, a global leader in high-performance specialty polyesters and part of the IMG Group, has announced a transformational expansion of its industrial headquarters in Portalegre, Portugal. This strategic investment is set to double the site’s production capacity by the third quarter of 2027, significantly accelerating the industrial scale-up of bio-based, medical-grade, and circular co-polyesters.

Pellet press enables thermomechanical textile recycling on a pilot scale at ITA

Since the end of 2025, the technical centre of the Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University has been equipped with a pellet press from the manufacturer Amandus Kahl GmbH & Co. KG, Reinbek, Germany. This press can efficiently compact shredded synthetic textiles at a throughput of up to 25 kg/h and process them into pellets with a diameter of 4 mm.

Fabolose: Fabricating vegan and circular leather alternatives from bio-tech-derived cellulose

Fabulose is an EU funded project coordinated by the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF). Its consortium consists of leading research institutes, biotech innovators, and industry stakeholders who aim to create high-performance, biobased and recyclable leather-like fabrics, using efficient biotech production routes for bacterial cellulose, cyanophycin and bacterial pigments

JEC World 2026 returns with an unprecedented content program

Recognized worldwide as the leading trade exhibition for composite materials and their applications, JEC World returns on March 10-12, 2026, at Paris Nord Villepinte as the most ambitious edition to date, in line with its motto “Pushing the limits”. As the must-attend event for the composites industry, JEC World will offer an unprecedented program, blending conferences, markets insights, technical sessions, awards, and above all, a unique experience and invaluable connections.

Beyond the wardrobe – innovative cotton takes the spotlight

Cotton can do more – a lot more. Cutting-edge textiles and high-tech products made from 100% cotton prove just how powerfully performance and sustainability can come together. That very surge of innovation is front and centre at the 38th Bremen Cotton Conference, taking place March 25–27, 2026, at Bremen’s Parliament on the historic market square – culminating in a bold and dedicated closing session on Friday. In the spotlight: performance upgrades for pure cotton, smart strategies for circular textile waste solutions, and pioneering concepts for demanding technical applications. From natural fibre–reinforced composites to highly effective flame-retardant solutions, cotton steps out of the closet and shows the future potential woven into every fibre.

Keeping print inclusive: Empowering women in the print industry

Across all industries, cultivating a diverse and inclusive workplace is increasingly recognised as valuable and essential to long-term success. However, despite the print industry’s significant advancements in technology and innovation, visible representation of women remains limited. As the sector grapples with low recruitment, it’s important to challenge outdated perceptions. Creating real change, however, requires collective effort - no single company can do it alone.