Bio-based products with a positive CO2 balance

"In principle, all of our cleaners are already sustainable," explains Langhammer. This is primarily due to the products' patented active ingredients: "They don't require any contact time. So you can clean very quickly, using little electricity, and above all, you need very little material." The reduced use of materials also leads to less waste. "This makes the process more sustainable overall than, for example, flushing with polypropylene and fiberglass," explains Langhammer.

Application-specific variants for sensitive processes
For specific applications, such as the processing of biodegradable plastics, the company also offers PLA-based cleaning granules. According to Langhammer, these consist of "100% biodegradable ingredients" and are particularly suitable for film applications. The reaction products produced during cleaning – CO₂ and water vapor – are harmless, and the resulting carrier polymer can, depending on the degree of contamination, be easily returned to the material cycle.

Granula Polymer has also developed a bio-based cleaning granule based on renewable raw materials. "The analogue of our classic Clean Uni is based on sugarcane," says Langhammer. Due to the favorable CO₂ footprint of the raw material used, the product is CO₂-negative, according to calculations by the Lüdenscheid Plastics Institute.

Market Launch and Price Sensitivity

The market launch of the new products is currently underway. "We've just received initial inquiries for individual samples," reports Langhammer. However, it generally takes time before such products can be tested and integrated into ongoing production processes. At the same time, she sees a widespread misconception in the market: "My guess is that the market thinks the materials are automatically significantly more expensive. That's not the case."