Circularity

#TrueCircularity is key to a successful future. As a pioneer in polymer-based 3D printing materials, Evonik has developed a formula for its PA12 powders to build up the circular plastics economy in additive manufacturing.

We Go Far Beyond Chemistry to Take Responsibility for Future Generations

By its very nature, additive manufacturing has the potential to drive sustainable parts production at scale. The main advantages of 3D printing could play an important, even decisive role for producers and manufacturers towards series applications. The more transparent the sustainable journey becomes at the beginning of the value chain, the more impact these effects will have in the final application. Yet material manufacturers bear a great responsibility here because the overall sustainability of an application is linked to the sustainability of the materials used.

As the emphasis on environmentally friendly manufacturing grows, it will even more critical to evaluate the environmental impact of additive manufacturing processes. This allows manufacturers to choose, case by case, the most efficient and sustainable technology for parts production. Life cycle assessments of materials will continue to be an important tool to compute the environmental impacts of 3D printing processes.

A Holistic Circularity Approach Based on Four Cornerstones

Evonik is driving the circular plastics economy by contributing to both footprint and handprint values. Along with factors like production efficiency or the reusability of materials, our circularity approach includes the total life cycle assessments of our materials and their consistent improvement. We look at both carbon footprint as well as other important factors such as water consumption and land use. By using green energy and renewable or recycled feedstocks for production, we have already significantly improved the overall eco-balance of our materials. Additionally, we continue to work on end-of-life opportunities for our polymers.

Our formula to drive circular plastics economy — our RHILOSOPHY — is based on four cornerstones:

Our new sustainable INFINAM® PA12 powders are produced using 100 percent renewable energies at the Marl Chemical Park. TÜV Rheinland has certified the associated life cycle assessments, attesting to an improvement of the company's own carbon footprint of nearly 50 percent. In the overall eco-balance, the comparison of the new sustainable material classes is positive — even when compared to the castor oil-based polyamides of Evonik's own Terra range.

We offer INFINAM® PA12 grades which can be reused by replacing just the powder used to form the parts of the previous job. Looking ahead, we continue to develop new powder materials to increase their reusability rate during a 3D printing process.

We are working to expand our range of sustainable PA12 powders to include the INFINAM® eCO product line. "eCO" stands for the company's goal of avoiding the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by using renewable or circular (renewed) raw materials via the mass balance approach. This method enables an immediate CO2 reduction in existing plants without affecting the quality of the products.

We work on end-of-life opportunities for our PA12 powders to take responsibility for further generations.

Advancing Sustainable 3D Printing with HP Inc.

Discover how Evonik and HP Inc. are advancing sustainable 3D printing together — combining innovative PA12 materials with collaborative solutions that reduce environmental impact and boost performance.

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More about INFINAM®

Discover advanced 3D printing materials from Evonik, including high‑performance INFINAM® filaments and resins designed for industrial applications, durability, and exceptional print quality.

INFINAM® 3D Printing Materials

Explore Evonik’s INFINAM® portfolio of ready-to-use materials for industrial 3D printing. From powders and elastomers to PEEK filaments and bioresorbable polymers, our solutions deliver precision and sustainability.

3D printer or additive manufacturing and robotic automation technology.

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We drive additive manufacturing along the entire value chain by offering industrial ready-to-use high-performance materials for all major polymer-based 3D-printing technologies.

Supporting the circular plastics economy