The application of bio-based waterborne polyurethane in synthetic leather manufacturing provides a sustainable material option for fields such as fashion, automotive interiors, and home furnishings. Building on this, chemical-based high-value recycling and utilization of waste synthetic leather are carried out. Methods like chemical depolymerization are used to convert it back into usable monomers or raw materials, forming a complete sustainable closed-loop of "production - use - recycling - reproduction". This greatly improves the material recycling rate, shifts from a linear model to a circular one, and achieves Upcycling.
The goal of the recycling technology is "Upcycling", not just "Downcycling".
The industry's recycling bottlenecks lie in value loss from Downcycling and low recycling rates. Our chemical recycling technology depolymerizes waste to the molecular level and then synthesizes high-performance materials. This makes the performance of recycled materials close to or equivalent to virgin materials, thereby increasing the recycling rate and realizing Upcycling.
Circular Recycling Technology: Lab R&D to Pilot Scale Stage
By mid-2025, blended depolymerization of waterborne polyurethane and polyester base fabric as well as monomer/raw material recovery have been achieved in the laboratory, and the recycling compatibility of bio-based materials has been verified. The circular utilization and Upcycling of plant carbon have also been completed. The next step will focus on verifying recycling economics and optimizing material performance to prepare for the construction of a pilot production line.