Partnering with the Polymer Industry (and Beyond) for a Low-carbon Future

Our new product development strategy is essentially focused on addressing the major trends and challenges our customers are facing, and sustainability plays a fundamental role here.

Harnessing a vast portfolio of minerals and decades of expertise, Imerys is in a unique position to support the industry's transition towards a low-carbon future. Working closely with customers our research and innovation teams have developed game-changing products, processes, and technologies to help our customers address the major environmental and societal challenges facing the world.

Whether it's supporting e-mobility or automotive lightweighting, boosting the properties of recyclable plastics or biopolymers, or providing insulation, with higher breathability for roofing membranes or enhanced glazing for windows with natural products, and safer flame retardant synergists for construction, we are continually expanding our product portfolio with innovative and sustainable products that support our customers needs.


 

Sustainability is at the very core of our current product portfolio and our new product developments, and it's proving to be a strong driver for growth which enables us to capture new business opportunities. In recent years, we've rolled out a number of innovations that not only improve the footprint of our customers' end products but contribute to lowering the overall carbon footprint of the end markets our customers serve. This is particularly the case with our latest developments for:

 

• automotive lightweighting,
• recycling, and
• packaging

Our Group ambition is to assess 75% of our product portfolio (by revenue) against sustainability criteria by 2025, and all our new products and innovations are screened according to a robust and scientific-based environmental footprint methodology.

The assessment process we use is adapted from the 'Sustainable Portfolio Management' (SPM) methodology and is aligned with the Portfolio Sustainability Assessment (PSA) framework developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). This 'SustainAgility™ Solutions Assessment' (SSA), as we call it, measures the social and environmental impact of our products from cradle to grave and includes the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the minerals themselves.

To date and as an example, around 80% of our product portfolio for polymer markets has already been assessed using the SSA framework. The highest performers are attributed to the Imerys 'Pioneer' label which denotes a product that provides the highest social and environmental contribution to the downstream value chain.


 

Some of the best examples of our sustainable solutions target automotive lightweighting. In a bid to reduce overall car weight, fuel consumption, and emissions, auto manufacturers have been gradually switching from using metal parts for the bodywork of vehicles to high-performance lightweight thermoplastics. The recent shift towards e-mobility is making the race to find lighter car components all the more urgent since electric vehicles (EVs) are far heavier than their combustion engine counterparts.


 

HAR® talcs

Reinforcement fillers, such as our high aspect ratio HAR® talcs, are highly effective solutions for producing robust lightweight thermoplastic parts. Designed to improve stiffness and dimensional stability whilst maintaining good impact and scratch resistance, HAR® talcs enable auto part manufacturers to lower compound density compared to standard talcs and to produce more complex and zero-gap designs.

Since lighter cars use less fuel and produce fewer emissions, HAR® plays a role in meeting major regulatory trends driving CO₂ emission reductions through lightweighting. It is listed among our certified Pioneer products.

 

Properties of HAR® Talcs

JetFine® talcs

Similarly, our JetFine® ultrafine talcs can improve impact strength in thermoplastic resin auto parts, compared to standard talcs, allowing manufacturers to reduce part thickness.

The most recent addition to the JetFine® range, JetFine® T2 C, is produced from raw material sourced in Europe, making it a lower carbon solution for our European customers for similar impact and scratch resistance specifications.

 

Jetfine® T2 C — A Low-carbon Ultrafine Talc

NYAD® wollastonites

Going beyond our solutions for thermoplastics, Imerys also has a portfolio focused on thermosets, epoxy, polyurethane, SMC, BMC, especially targeting electrical vehicles. For example, we have developed a high aspect ratio NYAD® wollastonite which is an excellent solution for the partial replacement of glass fiber in lightweight automotive plastics, where it improves the dimensional stability and aesthetics of the finished part.

Another driver is the current growing demand for encapsulation technology, which is becoming more and more important to improve the lifespan, thermal management, and conductivity of electronic devices such as batteries, switches, inverters, and sensors. Our latest addition to the NYAD® wollastonite family, NYAD® M150 LV, has been specifically designed to guarantee the durability and efficiency of epoxy thermosets used for the encapsulation of EV electric motor components.


 

ImerShield® flame retardant synergists

Finally, the ImerShield™ range is the solution of choice for use in synergy with intumescent flame retardant (FR) plastics formulations where it enhances part quality, mechanical properties, and polymer processing whilst reducing FR additive loading and equipment corrosion.

 

ImerShield® Grades Achieve Synergy with Intumescent FR Plastics

Yes, Imerys' mineral specialty solutions bring a host of benefits to:

 

• Plastics packaging,
• Biopolymers,
• Construction materials,
• E&E housings,
• Breathable films, and
• Consumer goods

JetFine® talcs make excellent reinforcement agents and nucleating agents for boosting the performance of rigid biopolymers, bioplastic film, and compostable plastics, allowing them to be used in demanding applications such as durable packaging. JetFine® 3 C is among our Pioneer products.

Our solutions for recycled plastics include a range of minerals, such as talc and calcium carbonates, which can restore mechanical properties to recycled plastics, enabling their use in more highly demanding applications and reducing the need to resort to virgin raw materials. Mica improves stiffness and shrinkage in recycled nylons; wollastonite can be used effectively to replace glass fiber in recycled polyamide.

Engineered calcium carbonates, such as our ​​FilmLink® range, improve breathability, mechanical properties, and processability in breathable hygiene products such as diapers, improving output and reducing waste levels.


 

We will continue to strive to be a partner of choice for our customers by supporting them with solutions that contribute to their own decarbonization journey. We will pursue our strategy to be closer to our key emerging markets, so as to provide our customers with easy access to the critical minerals they need.

The inauguration, at the end of 2023, of a new talc processing plant in China to serve our automotive part customers with our high-value talcs is a fine example of this. The new plant underpins our strategy to support China's booming electric vehicle industry, and the automotive industry's transition to a low-carbon economy, whilst bringing a host of benefits to local customers such as shorter lead times and increased cost competitiveness.

We will pursue the assessment of our product portfolio through our SustainAgility™ Solutions Assessment framework, and to swell the ranks of our Pioneer solutions. We will carry on working with universities, research institutions, and start-ups to develop disruptive new mineral capabilities to help meet emerging customer needs.

More generally speaking, Imerys will continue to lead our industry's response to climate change, as expressed through our membership of the French Business Climate Pledge, by ensuring a systematic approach to combating climate change permeates all aspects of our business. We have a clear climate change roadmap in place in line with the 1.5° trajectory, with transparent targets based on scientific criteria that have been reviewed and validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). These ambitious targets include reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 42% (tCO₂eq) and scope 3 GHG emissions by 25% by 2030 from a 2021 base year.

In a nutshell, we will carry on pushing the boundaries to create value for our customers and stakeholders across the entire value chain.



About Armando Villasmil

Armando Villasmil, Imerys Performance Minerals Vice President Polymers, Rubber, Paints, Adhesives, Pulp & Packaging EMEA & APAC, is a senior executive with more than 15 years of experience working for the minerals industry. Prior to this role, Armando held the position of Imerys Performance Minerals Vice President Ceramics & Building Products, as well as various general management and business development positions across Europe and APAC.

Before joining Imerys, Armando held several marketing and business development positions of regional and global scope.


 

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