Henkel Adhesive Technologies recently announced that CRDC Global Limited is the winner of the Seal the Cycle initiative. With this international open innovation call in collaboration with Chile Global Ventures, the venture capital arm of Fundación Chile, the partners aimed to find technology solutions enabling the recycling or reusing of the millions of silicone cartridges for adhesives and sealants applications marketed around the globe annually.

Following a four-month application process, Henkel and Chile Global Ventures selected six companies from a total of 27 submissions to present their solutions in a Pitch Day. Finally, a jury of senior executives from Henkel awarded CRDC. Founded in 2018, CRDC’s mission is to create value from the world’s plastic waste by converting it into RESIN8™, an eco-aggregate that improves concrete. The presented technology has the potential to address the challenge of recycling millions of utilized silicone cartridges.

CRDC’s patented solution enables the cartridges to be converted into a fine-grain synthetic lightweight aggregate for further utilization across the industry (e.g., in products that improve insulation, reduce weight, and lower water absorption globally). These features are especially beneficial in the production of cementitious-based building blocks for sustainable and affordable housing.

“We are very proud about the tremendous outcome of our unique international ‘Seal the Cycle’ challenge,” said Roberto Pavez, regional development manager for Latin America at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “First of all, we need to thank Chile Global Ventures for their great support. And secondly, we are impressed about the high level of innovation capabilities the participants have provided. It really has been difficult to nominate a winner among all proposals. We finally selected CRDC due to its unique combination of environmental and social benefits that increase the affordability of climate resilient housing especially in the developing world.”

“We first of all like to congratulate CRDC for winning our global initiative,” said Albert Lipperheide, general manager for Consumer Adhesives at Henkel in Chile. “Based on their outstanding problem-solving concept we look forward to partner for the adaption of their technology with the focus on eliminating plastic waste and creating a positive impact on the environment.”

“We’re inspired by our mission to create value from the world’s plastic waste and by our commitment to regenerative design—where the output is greater than the sum of the inputs—which remains at the core of our mission,” said Donald Thomson, CRDC’s founder and CEO, following the award. “Winning ‘Seal the Cycle’ is a major step on our journey to contribute to the world’s transformation towards sustainable development. We want to thank Henkel and Chile Global Ventures for their leadership in this important area. Winning this award underscores the importance of working collaboratively with the private sector, governments, NGOs, and other startups to achieve better economic, environmental, and social outcomes for all.”

For more information, visit www.henkel.com and https://crdc.global.