PET and other plastics have been recycled for a long time. Tide Ocean SA (#tide) is taking a new approach by specialising in waste from island and coastal regions. The waste is used to produce a low-CO2 raw material for the manufacture of a wide range of consumer and industrial goods.
Context
The quantity of plastic waste polluting the world’s oceans has become a matter of public concern in recent years. It is estimated that 12 million tonnes of plastic end up in the sea every year, a figure that is steadily increasing. This is where #tide’s business idea comes in. Founded in 2019, the company works with local partners to have the waste collected and processed into granulate, yarn and filament, which are then used as raw material in the manufacture of a wide range of plastic products. The Dutch Condor Group uses it to produce carpets; the Swiss watch brand Maurice Lacroix, plastic watches and their packaging; and the industrial group Von Roll, protective caps for hydrants.
Technology
Recycling plastic is challenging – especially when the recycled material is not used to make the original item (e.g. PET bottles from PET bottles) but an entirely new product – and #tide turned to the IWK Institute for Materials Technology and Plastics Processing at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences for advice. The four most common types of plastic (PET, HDPE, LDPE and PP) can be processed into practically any product. The jumping-off point is always the end product that will be manufactured with the recycled plastic: the technical specifications of the required recycled plastic are derived from this. The desired plastic is then produced using a customised recipe.
Maturity
Marine plastic comes from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the Philippines. The waste is recovered by local recycling companies and sold by #tide to customers worldwide. With production in the thousands of tonnes, the company, which is financed by six private shareholders, is now close to the break-even point. The medium-term goal is to increase processing to 240,000 tonnes of plastic waste a year, equal to 2% of the amount of marine plastic litter worldwide. The firm is contributing not only to cleaner oceans but also to combating climate change: every product made from recycled plastic causes up to 80% lower greenhouse gas emissions over its life cycle compared to conventional plastic.
« Political regulations in favour of the circular economy improve our competitiveness. » – Marc Krebs, co-founder and CCO of Tide Ocean SA
This portrait is taken from the second edition of the cleantech start-up overview published in 2024. Discover the full publication here.
