Gr3n Talk About Their Breakthrough Depolymerization Technique At The International Summit For Change In Paris
Image Courtesy of Demeto
On 1 February, during the International Summit for Change held in Paris, Maurizio Crippa, CEO and founder of gr3n, participated in the panel discussion on “Cracking ocean pollution”.
He exchanged opinions with other entrepreneurs who share the same objective: bringing concrete innovation in the approach to the growing issue of the litter in the environment.
According to Dr Crippa an answer lies in Gr3n’s breakthrough depolymerization technique (DEMETO), which was developed via the Horizon 2020 SYMBIOPTIMA project, having been funded by the EU’s Horizon’s 2020 programme and backed by a consortium of companies including H&M.
Gr3n was a project partner, and uses a patented microwave radiation technology and associated chemical process to disassemble polymers to collect their constituent building blocks for reuse as virgin PET/polyester for use in Textiles and as Raw Feedstock.
The process also removes colourants to enable wider recyclability.
To date the consortium, which has been working on the technology since 2012 has secured funding to develop an industrial-grade prototype capable of processing 100 kilos per year. By 2020, they intend to finish a demo plant capable of 1000 tonnes per year. With more funding, the next phase is commercialisation.
He had the opportunity to illustrate to the audience his pioneering thinking channeled into the DEMETO project, which is proving to be successful both from an environmental and an entrepreneurial point of view:
“When I designed this innovative way to recycle, I was also aiming to create something economically competitive, hence to create a business. But in order to build a solid infrastructure, you have to design something that satisfies the needs of the society, combining what is valuable both on an environmental and an economical level.”
Maurizio underlined that the substantial value glimpsed by the EU Commission in the DEMETO project resulted in a fundamental support also on a financial level, stressing that it is also thanks to the EU funding granted under Horizon 2020 that it became possible to work on the development of such an avant-garde technology in the chemical recycling of PET/Polyester-based waste recycling. T
The fast and steady progress of this technology is not only the tangible evidence of the current constant commitment of the DEMETO team, but also of the future disruptive impact that it will have on the recycling sector.
He also underlined the importance of convincing people to “invest in innovation both with enthusiasm and with actual work”, warning the audience about the dangers of the monothematic thinking: “I heard so many times people saying “No plastic!”. So, my advice is not to stop at the first answer, but rather to go further in order to find a real solution.”