EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 18 Sustainability – not just a passing trend by Gabriele Kosmehl For CHT Group, a speciality chemicals manufacturer with nearly 2,500 employees across 120 countries, the circular economy isn’t a marketing concept – it’s a daily negotiation between chemistry, economics, and environmental reality. Since 2015, the German Tübingen-based company has been methodically building the infrastructure for transformation: tracking water and energy consumption globally, setting science-based climate targets, reformulating products for biodegradability – and sometimes also engaging suppliers in uncomfortable conversations. Editour Interview with CHT Group // May 22, 2025 CHT’s product portfolio includes recycling aids for plastic recycling. The product line addresses the improvement of the recycling cycle with Tubiwash for removing impurities as well as organic residues during the washing process, Tubifoam that dampens the foam that occurs to ensure optimum machine operation, and Tubiwet as a flotation aid for separation. Supporting products like Tubifloc for wastewater treatment and Tubicoat for anti-blocking round out the portfolio of the Recycling Solutions Business Unit. This unit has been growing successfully since 2008 and continuously works on new developments and product improvements that are oriented towards customer requirements, country-specific characteristics, or sustainability aspects: “There are, for example, many edible oil bottles made from PET, that come with an oily film that standard processes can’t remove,” explains Xiaohui Dong, Technical Manager for Recycling Applications. For such cases, CHT developed specific Tubiwash formulations with enhanced oil-emulsifying properties that prevent the oil from redepositing on the flakes. Products can also be reformulated to address regional differences in water hardness, contamination levels, and processing requirements. In China, plastic recycling presents volume, but a huge variety of small local operations rather rely on caustic soda and extremely high washing temperatures instead of chemical aid usage. “Energy costs in China are only a third of what they are in Germany,” Dong notes. “So using very hot water is not a big deal for them, unlike for European recyclers.” Reducing energy consumption is where CHT’s latest process innovations focus: by reformulating Tubiwash products to function effectively at 10-15 °C lower temperatures – dropping from 80 °C to 65-70 °C – they’re offering tangible economic and sustainable benefits. CHT products are also designed to prevent re-contamination of flakes, reducing water consumption during subsequent rinsing stages. Certain Tubifoam variants are fully compatible with ultrafiltration systems. They allow water to continuously cycle through the filters and back into the process without causing membrane blockage or fouling, ensuring stable performance and eliminating the need for frequent disposal or replacement. Sponsors PET flakes at different stages of the cleaning process F.l.t.r.: Xiaohui Dong, Technical Manager for Recycling Applications and Dr Annegret Vester, Chief Sustainability Officer at CHT with Gabriele Kosmehl
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