D&L units venture into ‘upcycling’ tech

A good percentage of post-consumer plastic materials end up in landfills and those that are improperly disposed of find their way in our oceans

D&L Industries Inc., through its subsidiaries First in Colours Inc. (FIC) and D&L Polymer & Colours Inc. (DLPC), has spearheaded an innovative technology that specializes in upcycling low-value or non-recyclable plastics, such as singleuse plastics, into valuable materials.

DLPC president Lester Lao said on Thursday that the company has successfully developed additives and compounds that give plastics a wide range of physical and chemical properties.

“A good percentage of post-consumer plastic materials end up in landfills and those that are improperly disposed of find their way in our oceans. We believe that the key in truly utilizing the potential of plastics lies in technologies that enable plastics to be reincarnated multiple times, if not indefinitely, and that’s where FIC and DLPC come in,” Lao said.

To date, FIC and DLPC have been successful in coming up with a range of solutions that enable plastic upcycling.

Several recycling options

There are various technologies available for recycling plastics, such as plastic additives that help in making waste plastics compatible and stable.

Plastibond is one such additive that acts as a bonding agent, while Polyguard improves the stability of plastics to delay degradation. Additionally, Deomate helps in removing and neutralizing odors.

Instead of just offering these additives to the market, FIC and DLPC offer custom-compounding services to cater to the specific needs and applications of their customers.

D&L, the country’s top producer of specialty food ingredients and oleochemicals, anticipates its net income to grow within the low-teens range or somewhere between 10 and 15 percent this year.

The projected increase in production resulting from the commercial launch of their multi-billion peso manufacturing facility in Batangas was cited as a key growth factor.

Despite a challenging 2023, D&L banked on the increased High Margin Specialty Products, or HMSP, volume growth to sustain growth momentum.

Notably, in the last quarter of 2023, HMSP volume had a substantial 40 percent year-overyear increase.

D&L reported a recurring income of P2.3 billion in 2023, representing a 31 percent decline from the previous year.