Group Management Report Products Safety and Health Environment Human Resources Social Commitment Consolidated Financial Statements 87
improved heat stability. This property has an especially positive
effect on storage and transport in warmer regions, for
example in Asia. With the new process, ECKART can additionally
conserve up to 75 % of the energy used in production
compared to the established process and avoid waste products
such as solvents.
Low-Emission Products and Technologies
All of the divisions launched new products that help reduce
various emissions. One focus at BYK was the development
of emission-free products in the wetting and dispersing,
surface, defoaming, and rheology application areas. These
new additives can be used in solvent-free and water-based
coating systems and meet the requirements for volatile organic
compounds (VOCs).
ELANTAS also developed corresponding products, for
example by using solvents that do not contain nitrogen. This
makes it possible to avoid the formation of harmful nitrogen
oxide gases, which can occur during subsequent combustion.
The switch from a highly volatile, organic diluent to
a novel, low-volatility, label-free system led to a significant
reduction in VOC content and toxicity without compromis-
ing the desired product properties.
Replacement of Critical Substances
In the reporting year, ALTANA succeeded in replacing other
critical substances. For example, a series of products was
developed at BYK that no longer contain tin in the formulation.
As a result, these products meet current requirements,
especially those of customers in the furniture industry. The
formulations also comply with special regulations, includ-
ing the ordinance for the safety of toys. Owing to changes
in legal requirements, the formulation of some wax products
was adapted so that they continue to satisfy current
European chemical law requirements (REACH).
Contributions to a Circular Economy
The topic of a “circular economy” is becoming increasingly
important for the chemical industry. The transition from
linear to circular value chains includes reuse as well as mechanical
and chemical recycling. This also includes waste
incineration processes in which the heat generated is used
as a source of energy and, in the future, will include the
reuse of the resulting CO² as a chemical raw material. Product
design figures prominently in this process. The aim
is to achieve both the desired product properties and simple
recycling of the raw materials. An example is packaging
films for foodstuffs. To achieve the required properties, films
are now used that consist of different materials and multi-
ple layers. Such multiple-component films cannot be mechanically
recycled using the technical methods available today.
The aim of an innovation in this context is, for example, to
replace individual components with a single coating layer.
ACTEGA developed such an innovative solution. The aqueous
thermoplastic elastomer dispersions of the YUNICO® technology
are creating a new generation of functional coatings.
The new technology enables various properties to be combined
in a single dispersion, including barrier effects and heat-
sealability as well as haptic effects and recyclability in ac-
cordance with the global standard of the Paper Technology
Research Foundation (PTS). The dispersions of YUNICO®
technology are based exclusively on water and are emulsifier-
and solvent-free. This is an important aspect in production
and processing, as no harmful substances are released into the
air or can get into the filling material. In addition, these
dispersions
meet all requirements regarding direct food contact
and have the corresponding Food and Drug Adminis-
tration (FDA) and EU approvals.