Using the blockchain to boost trust
Climate change and pollution are major challenges facing our planet in the 21st century. Traces of plastic can be found in the deepest parts of the oceans and in the most remote lakes in the mountains. DOMO Chemicals is determined to address these issues with a circular economy strategy built on the crucial three principles of circularity: reduce, reuse and recycle.
Towards a shift to a circular economy by digitising and tracing materials
To ensure that plastics can be reused or recycled, however, it is essential to be able to trace the origin of all raw materials in the product. That is the idea behind the Circularise Plastics project, which makes it possible to find the source of all raw material inputs throughout the plastics supply chain.
Circularise Plastics is a collaborative project between Covestro, a major supplier of high-tech polymers; Circularise, an innovative transparency start-up; and DOMO. Launched in 2019, this cutting-edge initiative harnesses blockchain technology to enable circularity in the plastics industry. Thanks to this pioneering technology, better traceability can be established for plastics across the value chain, allowing all actors to choose sustainable options more confidently.
An award-winning technology
In 2021, Circularise received a Responsible Care® award for a sustainability project for Porsche. Through this initiative, Porsche can prove the use of sustainable materials in its cars. The “digital product passport” ensures material traceability and tracks the CO2 footprint and other sustainability metrics like water savings. The special commendation for the Circularise Plastics initiative confirms the leading role DOMO is playing when it comes to sustainability.
Traceability of plastics in the automotive sector
In 2020, Circularise, as part of the Startup Autobahn innovation program, launched a project with Porsche and its material suppliers – Borealis, Covestro and DOMO Chemicals – to enable the traceability of plastics on blockchain and to ensure that the use of sustainable materials in Porsche cars can be proven. By digitizing materials Circularise was able to create a digital thread through the whole supply chain, enabling material traceability, tracking the CO2 footprint and other sustainability metrics like water savings.
Porsche has a large number of suppliers providing parts to its cars but it does not stop the company looking for more information about the materials that go into its cars. With the help of Circularise, as well as with the help of their partners Porsche able to trace for a number of specific cases plastics from raw material production to the final car.