Design for Recycling – Textile Flooring

Replacing latex in flooring by Licocene polymers allows full recyclability of carpets by Clariant

Although the majority of carpets today are made of recyclable woven or tufted materials, most textile flooring is still landfilled or incinerated. This is largely due to the traditional use of a latex, water-based backing which cannot be removed from the pile fibers and creates a difficult-to-recycle material mix. With its Licocene Performance Polymers, Clariant has developed a solution to this problem.

Watch Clariant’s video: on carpet recycling is a significant challenge, Clariant recyclable polymers offer a good solution to establish a circular value chain.

Carpet recycling is a significant challenge, Clariant recyclable polymers offer a good solution to establish a circular value chain.

Due to their unique chemical properties (e. g. low molecular weight), the latex backing of carpets can be replaced by Licocene Performance Polymers, which can be easily dissolved and recovered. Carpets produced from Licocene can be produced only from materials which can be separated with solvents. Therefore, all thermoplastic polymers being used for Licocene backed carpets and artificial turf can be recovered using dissolution technologies such as the Fraunhofer IVV CreaSolv® process.

The CreaSolv® recycling technology has validated that Licocene Performance Polymers can be recovered at an economically attractive level with a minimum of 90 % of their virgin quality for re-use. This ensures a cradle-to-cradle approach for textile flooring.

The whole process provides the missing link for the industry to design fully recyclable carpets and artificial turf from the outset for both multi-material and mono-material – a significant contribution to a circular economy, starting from post-consumer waste.

Clariant’s EcoCircle Initiative

The solution is part of Clariant’s EcoCircle Initiative, enabling the industry to transition towards a circular plastics value chain.

– Clariant’s product solutions support the reduction, re-use and recycling of plastics. Its approach is focused on collaboration along the entire circular value chain.

– Clariant’s products for the circular economy comprises solutions for:

EcoCircle supports the transition of the one-way plastic value chain to a circular plastic economy. EcoCircle’s special approach goes beyond a product focus, looking at the entire value chain and identifying the most sustainable and viable solutions for a circular plastic economy. For the development of Licocene, Clariant has both developed a polymer to replace latex in the carpet backing and looked at identifying the right recycling technology, and is now seeking to establish the required value chain.

Watch a short video about the key pillars, how Clariant has set itself up and supports the Circular Plastics Economy