The Dow Polyurethanes (Midland, Michigan / USA; www.dow.com) unit of DowDuPont's (www.dow-dupont.com) Materials Science division has announced a cooperation with PU equipment producer and processing specialist H&S Anlagentechnik (Sulingen / Germany; www.hs-anlagentechnik.de). The partnership aims to develop the market for recycled polyols from end-of-life mattresses, with the polyols then further used in a range of PU applications.

In 2015, Dow launched its "2025 Sustainability Goals", and the company says it is committed to "advancing the circular economy." Dow points out the European bedding industry is assessing impacts of the European Commission’s 2015 circular economy package, including new waste-management targets for reuse, recycling and landfilling, strengthening waste prevention and extended producer responsibility.

Managing director of H&S Anlagentechnik, Ruediger Schaffrath, says the collaboration will contribute to developing sustainable recycled polyurethane that can help address the EU objectives of reducing landfills and incineration streams. H&S Anlagentechnik has developed chemical recycling technology for PU foam from mattresses that enables the generation of recovered polyols, which can be reused in rigid PU foams – see Plasteurope.com of 10.08.2016.