Loop Industries and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions’ division Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH, a global polyester technology provider and polyester plant engineering firm, announced a strategic alliance expected to shape the future of PET and polyester manufacturing.

The Global Alliance Agreement advances the integration of the companies’ respective technologies intended to provide a turnkey industrial solution for license to manufacturing companies seeking a commercially viable technology to produce sustainable PET and polyester plastic. 

“We have successfully established a large variety of patented technologies and processes in the global market. This agreement will enable a very resource efficient and cost-attractive solution for the production of sustainable PET and polyester,” said Sami Pelkonen, CEO of the Electrolysis & Polymers Technologies business unit of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, in a statement. “The alliance with Loop Industries is an important milestone on the way to producing sustainable PET and polyester.”

“This Global Alliance Agreement allows for Loop’s technology to rapidly transform the plastic market and fully capitalize on our disruptive potential as the leader in the circular economy for PET plastic,” said Daniel Solomita, founder and CEO of Loop Industries, in a statement. “thyssenkrupp’s extensive engineering expertise and proven Melt-To-Resin technology provides Loop with a world-class partner to bring the waste-to-resin (WTR) manufacturing solution to market.”

“WTR is a key pillar of Loop’s commercialization blueprint to meet global demand from consumer packaged goods and other brands for Loop-branded sustainable resin,” added Solomita. “We plan to license the respective technologies developed by Loop and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions to manufacturing partners in geographical regions around the world in order to quickly roll out multiple WTR plants over the next decade.”

Loop and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions have already begun the integration assessment and are collaborating on the WTR process design package ready for license to global manufacturing companies that will now be able to establish facilities close to urban centers where feedstock is readily available and finally decouple PET plastic from fossil fuels. Both companies will retain all rights, titles and interests in and to their respective intellectual property.