Decovery® plant-based resins
DSM's Decovery® is a family of plant-based paint resins with low toxins and reduced carbon footprint that enable healthy lives while protecting the planet.
No waste? No problem!
It's time to discard our throwaway culture
Niaga® Technology
The next time you notice the carpet getting a little scruffy and start to think about replacing it, consider this fact: if you took the amount of carpet that we waste annually and used it to cover the whole of Central Park…it would be the tallest thing in New York City by 2040.
The reality is that when carpet reaches the end of its useful life there are two stark choices: Bury it or burn it. Both are catastrophic for our planet due to the greenhouse gases emitted, along with other pollutants. Which is why DSM invented Niaga® Technology - a revolutionary manufacturing method for carpet ensuring that instead of going to the ‘product graveyard’ the carpet remains alive, indefinitely.
Making the complex simple
Traditionally, the underside of a carpet is formed of a series of layers glued together and usually attached to latex. When carpet is discarded, the time and effort required to separate these layers while ensuring they remain a good enough quality for recycling is simply too great.
Enter Niaga Technology: a way of making products like carpet using just one non-toxic material - which in turn enables a 100% recyclable carpet, produced with up to 90% less energy.
A win-win for the environment
At DSM we’ve aligned our strategy specifically with five of the UN Sustainable Development Goals agreed in 2016. In the case of Niaga Technology that means:
Ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all at all ages
Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns
Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Some 4.5 billion square meters of carpet is wasted each year. Not only does this equate to throwing away a valuable resource (up to $6 billion per year in material value alone for the US); it also has an adverse effect on nature by going to landfill sites, for example.
Damaging incineration
The alternative is to burn it. Most industrial incinerators operate at temperatures of 850 degrees C or higher. Aside from causing huge carbon emissions (which in turn contribute to further global warming), they can release potentially harmful dioxins, and require intensive management.
Niaga Technology mitigates both these environmental problems.
The glue that holds it together
The glue that holds the whole concept together - quite literally - comes from DSM in the form of a specially engineered and solvent-free adhesive. This reversible adhesive decouples on demand after use of the product to allow for high value recycling of pure materials. Importantly, it doesn’t require latex, which is heavy, takes a lot of water and energy to cross-link (join with other materials), and makes the carpet prone to stains and burning.
Reducing waste, boosting health
Although it started out as a novel idea for manufacturing carpet and preventing immense landfill waste, Niaga Technology is evolving fast. Flooring giant Mohawk has adopted it to create a whole new category of flooring already renowned for its fast and efficient installation. Now Auping has become the first non-carpet company to use it - for developing fully recyclable and comfortable mattresses.
And the impact goes way beyond reducing waste. Carpets can contain over 40 toxic chemicals according to NGO research – hugely affecting indoor air quality and potentially contributing to illnesses like ‘sick building syndrome’. Niaga Technology is free of those toxins.
Carpet-to-carpet recyclable
Carpets made with the Niaga® Technology are fully recyclable back into new carpet.
Easy to install and remove
Installation time is reduced to around 40% for broadloom carpet, with lower risk of damage to hands, walls and furniture. Also, removal is easier.
Easy to clean
The material(s) used in Niaga ingredient branded carpet have inherently better soil and stain performance. Due to the absence of latex, the airflow through the carpet when using a vacuum cleaner is better.
Fire safety
Injuries from smoke inhalation are the primary cause of death in fires, but with Niaga's absence of latex, PVC and bitumen, smoke is greatly reduced and there's more time to escape.
Health
The Niaga adhesive is free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This results in an odour-free installation with no negative impact on indoor air quality.
Future proof production
Compared to today’s standard in the lamination process, Niaga Technology reduces energy use by approximately 90% and eliminates the need for water.
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Brighter Living… (journey)
Over many decades our consumer society has developed a bad habit of throwing things away - and it’s one that we need to break. If estimates are correct, our global population will need the resources of four planet earths by 2050. By investing in revolutionary product design rather than economically unviable recycling technologies, Niaga Technology is making its mark.
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Open innovation
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