Dutch material sciences company Royal DSM (Heerlen; www.dsm.com) and Finnish refiner Neste (Espoo; www.neste.com) have announced a strategic partnership to produce high-performance materials from sustainable feedstock rather than fossil-based substances. The move is expected to allow DSM and its customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their own products while supporting the industry’s transition to a circular economy.

Royal DSM’s engineering materials unit plans to start replacing several thousand tonnes of fossil feedstock used in the manufacture of its high-performance polymers portfolio with precursors produced from recycled plastics waste, 100% bio-based hydrocarbons, or a combination of the two, both of which are made by Neste.

Neste’s bio-based hydrocarbons are produced entirely from renewable raw materials such as waste and residue oils and fats. Its feedstock derived from plastics waste chemically reclaims materials that could not be mechanically recycled and have previously been incinerated or landfilled.

The Finnish company’s sustainable feedstocks are said to be drop-in replacements for conventional fossil-based materials used in DSM polymer production. Additionally, they are reportedly suitable for existing manufacturing infrastructures and will be validated by third-party sustainability system ISCC’s (Cologne / Germany; www.iscc-system.org) “Plus” scheme.