SIPCHEM INNOVENT DRIVES CIRCULAR INNOVATION AT EPFL INNOVATION PARK

At EPFL Innovation Park, Site of Switzerland Innovation Park West EPFL, Sipchem InnoVent leverages KNOVA program and on-campus presence to transform petrochemicals into sustainable polymers.

” The progress we’ve made over the past three years is significant, and the EPFL environment will remain a powerful growth driver for us”

Éric Bouchardy

General Manager, Sipchem InnoVent

In 2023, Sipchem launched an innovation and venture-capital arm of parent company, namely Sipchem InnoVent within EPFL Innovation Park, Site of Switzerland Innovation Park West EPFL as part of a broader transition toward carbon neutrality and a circular economy strategy. Guided by General Manager Éric Bouchardy’s vision, the team embedded itself in EPFL’s ecosystem from day one - making use of KNOVA, EPFL’s open innovation program, to connect with researchers, startups, and student talent.

Through KNOVA, Sipchem InnoVent participated in lab tours, networking sessions, and collaborations with faculties and spinoffs. This involvement helped secure partnerships, launch projects, and integrate student-driven market analysis via The Consulting Society. In 2024, two students joined the team at 30%, enhancing its capabilities in engineering and communications. 

Within just two years, Sipchem InnoVent filed three patents related to an industrial-scale polymer recycling process and 100% PCR rPET upcycled formulations marketed under the Meras® brand. Sipchem InnoVent fully succeeded in scale-up a unique 100% PCR rPET halogen free Flame Retardant Glass Reinforced base compound. Meras® compounds can be processed using general injection moulding and extrusion (under development) equipment, to manufacture plastic articles for different segments such as Mobility, Consumer goods, Industry & Construction.

A fourth patent is under review, and new collaborations are underway with a HES-SO laboratory and EPFL faculty.

Firmly established in the EPFL Innovation Park, Sipchem InnoVent intends to keep leveraging the richness of the local ecosystem to move its projects forward and foster a more sustainable chemical industry.

Diese Stories könnten sie auch interessieren