The sustainability tech fund of German speciality chemicals and plastics group Evonik (Essen; www.evonik.com) said it has taken an undisclosed stake in UK-based Interface Polymers (Loughboro; https://interfacepolymers.com).

The young British firm’s di-block copolymer additive technology with the trade name Polarfin was spun out of the University of Warwick in 2016 and is claimed to simplify the processing of plastics such as mixtures of polyethylene or polypropylene and facilitate recycling. According to Interface, this can “transform the performance and cost competitiveness” of polyolefin-based materials.

The process, the company says, can be deployed over a range of applications including those in packaging, construction, agriculture, and car production, where demand for improved compatibility and surface functionality is high.

Bernhard Mohr, the head of Evonik’s venture capital arm, said that while the two polylefins have poor compatibility with other materials and normally require costly and time-consuming surface preparation, the Interface process eliminates the need for that step and “greatly reduces” the amount of additives used in processing.

Using the UK company’s knowledge will help the German group strengthen its technological expertise and help meet its sustainability goals, Mohr explained, noting that the technology will also underpin its circular plastics programme.

In addition to the sustainability fund investment, Evonik’s coating additives business has agreed to what it calls an “extensive development partnership” with Interface to exploit the firm’s technology for paints and coatings.

The British process is said to be effective in reducing or eliminating the need for intensive pre-treatment of surfaces while improving their compatibility with metals, ceramics, and other plastics. This offers advantages for recycling mixed plastics, dispersion of materials within moulded plastics, and adhesion of paints, inks, and glues to plastic surfaces, Evonik added.