Trinseo Introduces Sustainable ALTUGLAS™ R-LIFE Acrylics

Rhea-AI Summary

Trinseo has launched ALTUGLAS™ R-Life Acrylics, a new series of sustainable materials, in the European market. This brand includes recycled and bio-based PMMA for various applications, with products such as extruded sheets, cast sheets, and acrylic resins. The products reduce global warming potential significantly, achieving up to a 53% reduction for extruded sheets. This series underscores Trinseo's commitment to sustainability and innovative recycling technologies.

Positive

• Launch of ALTUGLAS™ R-Life series enhances sustainability in product offerings.
• Reductions in global warming potential: 35% for cast sheets, 53% for extruded sheets.
• Products maintain mechanical and aesthetic properties comparable to fossil equivalents.

Negative

• None.

Portfolio will include recycled, reused, and bio-based solutions

HORGEN, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Trinseo, a specialty material solutions provider, announced its new series of sustainably-advantaged materials for the European marketplace -- ALTUGLAS™ R-Life Acrylics. ALTUGLAS™ R-Life is an umbrella brand that will include chemically and mechanically recycled, reused, and bio-based polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) for cast and extruded sheets, resins, and compounds.

The series launched with the following:

• ALTUGLAS™ R-Life Extruded Acrylic Sheets – with a minimum of 75 percent mechanically recycled, reused PMMA scrap material
• ALTUGLAS™ R-Life Cast Acrylic Sheets – with a minimum 75 percent chemically recycled PMMA cast sheet
• ALTUGLAS™ R-Life Acrylic Resins – with both 50 percent and 80 percent chemically recycled monomer from PMMA waste

The materials can be used in a broad range of application areas in Retail/POS, Lighting, Interior Architecture, Furniture and Design, Building and Construction, and Transportation.

“With ALTUGLAS™ R-Life we look at sustainability broadly -- as any number of solutions that might enable a customer to achieve positive sustainability outcomes,” said Aldo Zanetti, Global Sustainability Manager, Engineered Materials. “We plan for ALTUGLAS™ R-Life to be a growing and dynamic series; proven, with scientific tools such as LCA, to have a measurable environmental impact.”

For each ALTUGLAS™ R-Life sustainable solution, the Global Warming Potential (GWP) was calculated through a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). By replacing fossil with sustainable content there is a reduction in GWP of 35% for cast sheets with 75% sustainable content and 53% for extruded sheets with 75% sustainable content, and 24% for resins with 50% sustainable content resins and 38% with 80% sustainable content.

ALTUGLAS™ R-Life Extruded Acrylic Sheets is an ALTUGLAS™ CO₂NET™ product with CO₂ emissions reduction greater than 50% over its virgin, fossil-based equivalent.

Both chemically recycled ALTUGLAS™ R-Life Cast Acrylic Sheets and Acrylic Resins as well as mechanically recycled, reused ALTUGLAS™ R-Life Extruded Acrylic Sheets are processed with technology that assures the same mechanical, aesthetic, and optical properties of a fossil equivalent. The chemically recycling method used involves PMMA waste depolymerization where the material is converted to its original methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer.

ALTUGLAS™ R-Life joins Trinseo’s broad portfolio of sustainably-advantaged materials. These materials as well as Trinseo’s sustainability initiatives are included in the company’s 2022 Corporate Sustainability Report released earlier this month.

Trinseo is committed to solutions for plastic waste by partnering with the value chain, and developing and sharing innovative recycling technologies and approaches. Since its acquisition of Altuglas International the company has been a member of European Union initiatives MMAtwo, focused on constructing a novel PMMA recycling value chain, and REVOLUTION, an automotive industry led project to apply recycled PMMA and other plastics to electric vehicles.

ALTUGLAS™ R-Life extruded sheets, resins, and compounds are produced at Trinseo’s Rho plant, near Milan, Italy and ALTUGLAS™ R-Life cast sheets are made at the company’s Saint-Avold, France, and Brondeslev, Denmark locations.

Learn more about Trinseo PMMA and Sustainability.

About Trinseo

Trinseo (NYSE: TSE), a specialty material solutions provider, partners with companies to bring ideas to life in an imaginative, smart, and sustainability-focused manner by combining its premier expertise, forward-looking innovations and best-in-class materials to unlock value for companies and consumers.

From design to manufacturing, Trinseo taps into decades of experience in diverse material solutions to address customers’ unique challenges in a wide range of industries, including consumer goods, mobility, building and construction, and medical.

Trinseo’s approximately 3,400 employees bring endless creativity to reimagining the possibilities with clients all over the world from the company’s locations in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Trinseo reported net sales of approximately $4.8 billion in 2021. Discover more by visiting www.trinseo.com and connecting with Trinseo on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and WeChat.

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This press release may contain forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, projections, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are not statements of historical facts or guarantees or assurances of future performance. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words like "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "forecast," "outlook," "will," "may," "might," "see," "tend," "assume," "potential," "likely," "target," "plan," "contemplate," "seek," "attempt," "should," "could," "would" or expressions of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s evaluation of information currently available and are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Factors that might cause future results to differ from those expressed by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our ability to successfully execute our transformation strategy and business strategy; our ability to integrate acquired businesses; global supply chain volatility, increased costs or disruption in the supply of raw materials or increased costs for transportation of our products; the nature of investment opportunities presented to the Company from time to time; and those factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, under Part I, Item 1A —"Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our other reports, filings and furnishings made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. As a result of these or other factors, our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Therefore, we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220719005348/en/

Paula Biskup

Trinseo

248-802-2783

biskup@trinseo.com

Source: Trinseo

FAQ

What is the ALTUGLAS™ R-Life series by Trinseo?

The ALTUGLAS™ R-Life series is a range of sustainably-advantaged materials including recycled and bio-based PMMA designed for various applications.

How does ALTUGLAS™ R-Life impact global warming potential?

ALTUGLAS™ R-Life products can achieve up to a 53% reduction in global warming potential compared to traditional materials.

When was the ALTUGLAS™ R-Life series launched?

The ALTUGLAS™ R-Life series was announced in July 2022.

What materials are included in the ALTUGLAS™ R-Life portfolio?

The ALTUGLAS™ R-Life portfolio includes extruded acrylic sheets, cast acrylic sheets, and acrylic resins.

Where are ALTUGLAS™ R-Life products manufactured?

ALTUGLAS™ R-Life products are produced at Trinseo’s plants in Rho (Italy), Saint-Avold (France), and Brondeslev (Denmark).