Project description
Stone-like materials from recycled plastic bottles
During the last 30 years, natural stone, used as a building material in the kitchen has been largely replaced by composite stone, mainly due to its better surface properties and modern design options. The EU-funded SUSTONABLE project proposes a pioneering building material that has the physical shape and properties of engineered (quartz) stone, but it is thinner, ultra-light and having a better impact resistance. The product is made with natural minerals bond by recycled PET from plastic bottles and will be more affordable than comparable materials in the market. One of the goals of the H2020 project is to make the material fully recyclable in its own process. The project aims to create the next generation stone surface materials and contribute to the new sustainable circular economy. The technology will now be demonstrated in the kitchen market by establishing a medium scale manufacturing plant.
Objective
SUSTONABLE is a revolutionary thin and ultra-lightweight building material developed and patented by INNSTECH, with the physical look and feel of engineered (quartz) stone. The product has a high scratch and impact resistance. The end product weighs 1/3 of current engineered stone while using only 20% of the raw materials. In recent 30 years composite stone has been replacing natural stone in the kitchen. Artificial stone is a factory-made alternative with all the beauty of the natural material and the added benefits of resistance to staining, consistent colour, ease of handling and cutting. It is a fast-growing segment with 400M m2 countertops sold and will continue to gain share from less desirable materials such as HP Laminate worktops, which still represent 50% of the market as the cheapest option.
We at INNSTECH have pioneered the way to use recycled PET from plastic bottles and create a thin composite stone-like material that is recyclable with a very efficient process, and still having the desired look, feel and properties of current composite stone. Moreover, we can drastically reduce SUSTONABLE price than comparable materials in the market -up to 50% cheaper than top vendor engineered stone, e.g. Silestone with sales €548M/yr. Our vision is to deliver the next generation stone surface materials ready for the new sustainable circular economy, while positioning SUSTONABLE in the low-cost segment of the market offering the high-quality functional properties of competitors. Having already successfully run our process in a pilot plant, SUSTONABLE has produced approximately 450 slabs of 250x80cm. The business strategy is first to prove the technology in the kitchen market by building and operating a medium scale plant with a capacity of 400,000 m2/year, reaching €48.4 million revenues in 2027.The kitchen countertop leader in NL, Dekker (3500 countertops per week), has signed up as a co-investor in the project with the intention to sell and install SUSTONABLE.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
2408 AM ALPHEN AAN DEN RIJN
Netherlands
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.