Keter, the world’s leading company for resin consumer goods, has announced an expanded collaboration with UBQ Materials, a developer of sustainable thermoplastics. By increasing its use of UBQ’s bio-based UBQTM material across new product lines, Keter aims to further its emission reduction goals and advance its sustainability strategy.
The partnership will see Keter incorporate a 5-10 percent UBQTM load in a new eco-product line labeled “Made With UBQTM.” This builds on Keter’s inclusion of 55 percent recycled content overall, taking the company’s sustainability commitment to new heights. According to Keter’s Iftach Sachar, the UBQTM collaboration enables impact “beyond our recycled content goals,” allowing for “a much bigger impact” through tangible climate-positive products.
UBQTM offers a carbon-reduced substitute to traditional plastics by transforming landfill-bound waste into an innovative thermoplastic. UBQTM avoids emissions for a demonstrable climate benefit by diverting waste and preventing incineration. Keter’s expanded use of the material will contribute to the company’s emission reduction targets and support its publicly outlined sustainability strategy.
To enable the ramped-up UBQTM integration, UBQ Materials is opening a new Netherlands production plant in late 2023. With an 80,000-ton annual capacity, this facility will streamline supply for Keter’s European operations. Albert Douer, UBQ’s Co-CEO, suggests the localized production and waste-to-product cycle will “accelerate the integration of UBQTM into [Keter’s] European manufacturing facilities” while realizing a “removal and avoidance of carbon emissions.”
The strengthened collaboration builds on years of Keter-UBQ partnership focused on elevating industry sustainability standards. According to UBQ’s Jack “Tato” Bigio, the company aims to demonstrate “the real-world climate impact of customer collaboration” where partners like Keter pioneer new benchmarks for waste-based material innovation. With UBQTM allowing the company to reach and exceed its public climate objectives, Keter is positioned as an industry leader in sustainable innovation.
UBQTM offers a scalable solution for Keter’s global operations, enabling the organization to provide climate-positive products at scale. By diverting waste from landfills to fuel regional production facilities, the circular UBQTM material allows for localized support of Keter’s expanding sustainability commitment. With UBQ Materials ramping up capacity and Keter implementing material usage across new product lines, the two organizations aim to accelerate progress toward mutual emission reduction goals.