UBQ launches sustainable materials, additives portfolio

Israel-based UBQ Materials has announced a major expansion of its portfolio. What started out as its standard material replacement known as UBQ has now proliferated to three bio-based material replacements and two additives.

UBQ manufactures its products through a patented closed-loop process, which converts garbage waste - including food waste, mixed plastics, cardboard, paper, and dirty diapers - into a sustainable raw material for the manufacturing of everyday goods across a multitude of industries. The process works by breaking down the heterogeneous waste streams into their basic, natural components before reconstituting them to create a brand-new material.  Around 70% to 80% of UBQ’s feedstock is broken down to its particulate constructs—lignin, cellulose, fibres, and sugars—and then reassembled and bound together into a matrix. The remaining 20% to 30% are mixed plastics that melt and bond into the matrix, creating a highly recyclable thermoplastic material.

The new portfolio was developed to meet both environmental and performance requirements, specifically designed to ‘resolve performance challenges commonly encountered when integrating sustainable materials’, UBQ said in a statement.

The three bio-based material replacements, UBQ ClimaPos, UBQ Q Series, and UBQ Industrial, have applications in consumer durables, automotive, construction, and logistics. The UBQ ClimaPos, for example, can be used in plant pots, window profiles, pet carriers, and transport boxes. UBQ says the material has ‘very low’ carbon footprint in production and application and can therefore go ‘a long way towards achieving your sustainability targets’.

Each material can be combined with additional modifiers or enhancers to achieve desired properties. Additives in the portfolio include UBQ Nclozur, for odor mitigation, and UBQ Impact, an enhancer that blends with a range of polymer matrices to meet performance requirements. Both grades are only sold as additives to UBQ’s primary materials.

"For years, we have worked with our customers through trials and application development,” said  Gil Felus, Chief Operations Officer and Chief Innovation Officer of UBQ Materials. “We’ve developed this portfolio to streamline the journey towards circular manufacturing practices. With this, sustainability to profitability becomes a simple equation.”

Last September, UBQ closed a $70 million founding round to support the company’s continued scale-up and global expansion. Its bio-based material was recognised by TIME magazine as one of the best inventions of 2023.