Cleantech Company UBQ Brings Sustainable Recycling Solution to the Netherlands and Europe
New Israeli firm converts household waste into environmentally-friendly raw material for making plastic
Jack (Tato) Bigio, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of UBQ Materials
The Israeli cleantech company UBQ is expanding to Europe and establishing its sustainable recycling operations in the Netherlands. The new firm has developed a technology to convert household waste into a raw material for the plastics processing industry. UBQ recently announced it is opening its first international location outside of Israel in Bergen op Zoom, to be operational at the end of 2022.
UBQ has developed a patented process for converting landfill-destined municipal solid waste into a recyclable raw material that can be used in making plastic. The company says its product is a sustainable replacement to plastic, wood or concrete, and can be used both on its own and in conjunction with conventional oil-based resins to offset the overall carbon footprint of end-products in industries including construction, automotive, logistics, and retail. UBQ’s client list includes Mercedes-Benz, global retail solutions provider Mainetti, and Arcos Dorados, the world’s largest franchisee of McDonald’s restaurants across Latin America. Trays of McDonald’s restaurants in South America already consist of a combination of plastic and UBQ material.
Reducing carbon footprint
UBQ Project Manager Olaf Looijen says UBQ’s material contributes to making the world more climate-neutral. “You save raw materials, especially petroleum. In many places in the world, household waste still ends up in landfills, where it causes the emission of methane. In the Netherlands, household waste goes into the incinerator and causes CO2 emissions. This is also prevented by converting household waste into UBQ material.”
Looijen said he expects to realize an annual production of 80,000 tons of UBQ material, which will serve the Western European market. He estimates that will create between 200 and 250 jobs in the Netherlands.
Joining the Dutch cleantech ecosystem
“We selected the Netherlands for our new plant because the ecosystem there is very suitable for companies like ours,” said Jack (Tato) Bigio, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of UBQ Materials. “We had to select a convenient location for our first international plant and northern Europe was an easy choice.”
UBQ was supported in its expansion to Europe by the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM), both members of the national Invest in Holland network.
Sources: Brabant Development Agency and Calcalistech
3 February 2022