Hendriks: Sustainability is intrinsic to all operations at Trinseo and runs through our culture. We recognise our responsibility as a materials provider, to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. 

That's why Trinseo has set ambitious sustainability goals for 2030, including reducing our greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 35% and achieving 75% landfill-free operations. We also aim to ensure that 100% of our suppliers adhere to the Trinseo Supplier Code of Conduct, which includes requirements for ethical and sustainable practices.

Consideration of the interconnectedness of social, environmental, and economic factors and the commitment to creating value for all stakeholders through sustainable business practices are essential for successful sustainability. 

That's why Trinseo is dedicated to driving positive change in all operations and the broader industry. We regularly report on our progress towards sustainability goals and are committed to transparency.

We also know that a sustainable future is dependent on the networks we build today. Trinseo values collaborative opportunities to solve major issues facing our industry. 

Our global partnerships are key to our sustainability strategy, as they are the foundation for building a circular economy and innovating to produce sustainably-advantaged materials. 

We collaborate with peers through several networks (for example, Styrenics Circular Solutions, Plastics Europe) designed to enhance environmental stewardship, innovate to develop more sustainable products, promote responsible operations, and journey ever closer toward decarbonisation.

The development of sustainable mobility is a crucial aspect of achieving a more sustainable future. The end goal for sustainable mobility is to be CO2-neutral and closed-loop, meaning that at the end of a vehicle’s life, all of its components are fully reused or recycled, and the consumer is using fully green energy to power their vehicle with zero emissions.

Although this end goal is still some way off, the industry has been taking steps towards achieving it. One example is reducing the vehicles’ weight and the shift towards electrifying propulsion.

Material providers are also playing a crucial role in the development of sustainable mobility. To help achieve the end goal of CO2 neutral and closed loop, they are looking into bringing more sustainable options into their feedstocks and lowering the CO2 footprint of their materials. 

These efforts include exploring bio feedstocks and open and closed-loop recycling from non-automotive sources.
 
As a materials manufacturer, how do you define sustainable materials?

As a materials manufacturer, defining sustainable materials is a crucial aspect of our commitment to sustainability. Our vision for sustainable materials is that they should be CO2-neutral and infinitely 100% recyclable, which means that they can be recycled repeatedly without any loss in performance.

However, sustainable materials must also meet performance requirements and consumer expectations. Therefore, a balance must be struck between sustainability, performance, and consumer satisfaction.

At Trinseo, we have a vision to be a global leader in sustainable materials, and are passionate about making this happen. Our R&D teams around the world are working towards this goal, exploring new options and technologies to develop materials that meet our criteria for sustainability.

Our current portfolio of environmentally advantaged materials is a reflection of the progress we have made towards our vision. 

This portfolio includes bio-based materials, which are segregated from fossil-based materials, bio-attributed materials that use the mass balance approach, and recycled-containing materials.

Sustainable materials are becoming increasingly important in the automotive industry. Currently, sustainable materials are used in several applications such as exterior and interior lighting, trim pieces, dashboards, pillars, mats, and under-the-hood applications such as gaskets. 

These materials include recycled PMMA and/or bio and recycled TPS, bio ABS, and bio and recycled TPE, TPU. Trinseo has even successfully commercialised recycled-containing PC/ABS for a safety-critical part, as part of the door carrier for a large German premium OEM.

The percentage of sustainable materials used in vehicles varies at the moment, but it is expected to continue increasing throughout the vehicle.
OEMs are also pushing the boundaries of performance for sustainably advantaged materials, as seen in other industries like consumer electronics.

Circularity is an essential part of Trinseo's vision for sustainable materials, and involves going beyond just selling plastics. We have capabilities in designing parts for disassembly or recycling, enabling the use of recycled materials, and creating partnerships to enable circularity.

Trinseo has acquired Heathland, a Netherlands-based recycler, to improve our access to feedstocks. We are also developing recycling technologies that improve the yield of recycled plastics, and some of the more promising technologies – proprietary to Trinseo – are currently moving into the scale-up phase.

Trinseo also has several partnerships in place, including with JSW for the recycling of PMMA and Ineos for the depolymerisation of styrene, to support circularity. Trinseo is also working increasingly earlier and closer with strategic customers in different sectors to ensure a rapid increase in the share of sustainable materials compared to all-prime equivalents. 

This collaboration is essential for driving the next leap in circularity.

In summary, Trinseo’s role in circularity involves not only the use of recycled materials but also designing parts for disassembly or recycling and developing recycling technologies. 

Our partnerships and collaborations aim to create a more circular future by enabling the recovery and reuse of materials used to produce vehicles.

Trinseo is actively working to address issues related to the availability, price, and quality of more sustainable materials. While availability remains a challenge, particularly for recycled feedstock, Trinseo has established strong partnerships, including the recent acquisition of Heathland, to ensure access to recycled feedstock of consistent, high quality.

We seek to source locally produced recycled feedstock for sustainability reasons, but quality and performance cannot be compromised. In cases where recycled feedstock is not yet available, Trinseo is exploring bio-based alternatives to augment our offering and bridge the gap.

Trinseo is also driving physical recycling, especially for polymers with low energy impact, which significantly reduces CO2 impact compared to the production of prime materials. 

The acquisition of Heathland is a first step towards ensuring a higher quantity and quality of recycled feedstock, and Trinseo is committed to continuing to develop innovative solutions to address issues related to availability and price of more sustainable materials.

The use of Trinseo’s materials in mobility applications can have an impact on the company’s Scope 3 emissions. As a materials manufacturer, Trinseo has a responsibility to reduce the carbon footprint of its products throughout their lifecycle, including the end-use phase. 

By providing sustainable materials for mobility applications, Trinseo can help reduce the carbon emissions associated with the transportation sector. This is particularly important given that the transportation sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.

By developing sustainable materials for mobility applications, Trinseo is contributing to the transformation of sustainable mobility, which is a market driving sustainable transformation. As such, we are working towards a future where vehicles are CO2-neutral and closed-loop, with all components fully reused/recycled, and consumers are using green energy to power their vehicles with zero emissions.

There were a few reasons I made the move. Perhaps the most important was my passion for sustainability, shared by Trinseo. I made sustainability a priority at Yanfeng and see similar priorities here.

The company’s ethos is that chemistry is the primary driver towards a sustainable society and that it is not solely the remit of an individual sector, for example automotive or manufacturing. Instead, chemistry is at the tip of the spear.

Trinseo has fully embraced its responsibility to drive sustainability in our material solutions, and it is a company in transformation, to become the leader in sustainable material solutions for our customers. In my role as CTO I can really make a difference.

For Trinseo’s evolving R&D organization, it is really easy to identify with the company’s mission and vision, and it is exciting to build out a strong global R&D organization with new, future-focused capabilities.

We are in the middle of a complex and dynamic transformation, with moving targets – e.g. new data on the state of the planet, new regulations, technological breakthroughs and evolving insights. 

To accelerate towards a sustainable society, sharing knowledge is essential in this dynamic environment – full transparency of the CO2 footprint of ecosystem players, reliable data handling for every step in the value chain, and co-creation of the future of automotive interior and exterior parts, because a CO2 neutral and circular car will have a different look and feel to what we know today.

Trinseo envisions a future where the automotive value chain moves from a linear model to a more collaborative one. Collaboration is necessary for the entire value chain to transform towards more sustainable practices. This includes collaboration between materials suppliers, OEMs, tier 1 suppliers, and recyclers.

Collaboration can drive innovation, promote the sharing of best practices, and accelerate progress towards a sustainable society. It also requires transparency and reliable data handling to enable a better understanding of the CO2 footprint of each step in the value chain.

Ultimately, co-creation will be critical to designing and manufacturing sustainable automotive interior and exterior parts. A CO2-neutral and circular car will require new solutions and materials to design and construct, and achieving this requires collaboration between all players in the value chain.