For the third year in succession, intellectual property firm Appleyard Lees has published its Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report 2023. The report analyses patent filings across several key environmental issues, including bioplastics and plastics recycling, during the most recent year complete data is available for, 2021.
In the chemical recycling category, the report shows that patent filings reached an all-time high in 2021, with the number of global patent filings increasing dramatically during the period between 2019 and 2021.
“The recent surge has come primarily from entities operating in the US and Europe: In 2019, 56% of new chemical recycling patent applications came from these two territories,” the report’s authors said. “It is notable, however, that there was a slight dip in US activity during 2021. Filings from South Korea on the other hand, have doubled from 2020 to 2021. On this trajectory, South Korea may overtake Europe with the highest number of filings, so far, in chemical recycling technologies in the next reporting year (2022),” the authors predicted.
Eastman Chemical has continued to dominate the global patent filling scenario, but its dominance eased compared to 2020. In 2021, the US-based material manufacturer filled 23 chemical recycling patents, according to Appleyard Lees, compared to 30 in 2020, and 51 in 2019. Eastman is now responsible for a 26% share of filings amongst the top ten filers, and a 4.5% share of total global filings. In 2020, those figures were 71% and 14%, respectively.
“While the number of Eastman’s patent filings has dropped by about 50% since 2019, the fall in its percentage share among the top ten filers is greater because other companies’ have begun to file, or have increased their filings at a higher rate,” the authors explained. “Notable growth has come from Sabic, LG Chemical, and IFP Energies Nouvelles in particular.”
Saudi Arabia-based Sabic took second place in the global patent filling ranking, with 20 chemical recycling patents filled in 2021, in comparison with 12 in 2020, and none in 2019. France’s Carbios and the Institute of Petroleum (IFP Energies Nouvelles) complete the top four, with four and 11 new patents each, respectively.
Japan’s JFE Holdings, Hitachi, Austria’s Borealis, South Korea’s LG Chemical and Institute of Research, and US-based Procter & Gamble (P&G) all made the top 10.
The report also shows significant growth in the number of new entrants filling chemical recycling patents, as well as research institutions making the top filling ranking, ‘reflective of the early stage of development in which many aspects of chemical recycling technology currently find themselves’, the authors said.
Whilst pyrolysis is still by far the main source of chemical recycling innovation, and continues to grow rapidly, the report shows there is also growth in other emerging technologies such as biodegradation and electrolysis.
