Wacker Group’s mass balance method for tracing renewable raw materials in silicone manufacturing has been certified by the international inspectorate TÜV SÜD, Wacker announced.
Issued March 2018, the certification recognizes the company’s procedure for tracking the use of renewable raw materials throughout the production process, all the way to end product. It also certifies that the mass balance method used by Wacker in silicone manufacture meets the criteria of TÜV SÜD standard CMS 71 for the traceability of renewable raw materials.
As of April 2018, Wacker has also used plant-based methanol in its production process; as such, it is now able to market silicone fluids exclusively manufactured with the help of biomethanol. Though silicone fluids produced with bio-based or petrochemically based methanol are chemically identical, biomethanol based silicones possesses a more favorable carbon balance since no fossil raw materials are involved in the methanol manufacture.
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The addition of biomethanol-based silicone fluids to the company’s silicone portfolio is a response to the growing demand for products from renewable raw materials.
“Wacker is the first silicone manufacturer to track the use of biomethanol across all production steps, through to its end products,” said Auguste Willems, member of the Wacker executive board. “This benefits not only us, but our customers, too. By using our biomethanol-based silicone fluids, customers can increasingly offer sustainable products. And what is more, the carbon balance improves significantly, too.”
