Post by Niaga®

“It’s recyclable.” Is it really? Most products claim recyclability. But ask one simple question: do you know every single substance inside your product, down to 0.01%? In many cases, it is extremely difficult to obtain material transparency at this level of detail. In practice, the direct suppliers of the materials used in a product (Tier 1) often do not have full visibility into every additive, stabilizer or processing aid contained in those materials. And one step deeper in the value chain — at the suppliers of those suppliers (Tier 2), who produce the raw polymers, intermediates or chemical components - this information is frequently incomplete, fragmented or simply not documented in the level of detail required. Bringing all of this together into one transparent, verified material profile is anything but straightforward. Yet circular systems demand precision. A minor additive can: • Contaminate a polymer stream • Downgrade mechanical recycling • Create accumulation effects over cycles • Or introduce substances that are problematic for future applications That’s why the Material Health Statement (MHS) issued by EPEA for Object Carpet’s Green Card DUO products is such an important milestone. After deep analysis across Tier 1, 2 and 3: ✔ 98.1% of the product is defined down to 0.01% ✔ 96.5% pure PA6 and polyester polymers ✔ No fillers blocking recycling ✔ No substances of concern in the use phase Material transparency is not a marketing exercise. It’s a technical prerequisite for high-quality recycling. Circularity begins long before the product reaches end-of-life. It begins with radical honesty and the technical knowledge to truly understand what’s inside. Photo: Andreas Hoernisch #EcoDesign #CircularEconomy #MaterialTransparency #DesignForRecycling #SustainableMaterials Nico Janssen