UBQ Materials wins Plug and Play Sustainability Award

UBQ Materials, an Israeli climate tech developer, was awarded the Plug and Play Sustainability Award for its work with Maxion, an automotive supplier, to create returnable plastic pallets and separators using UBQ, an innovative climate-positive material derived from unsorted and unrecyclable household waste.

The material offers a sustainable alternative to oil-based resins, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of end products. This aligns with the growing emphasis on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets set by companies across various industries. By incorporating UBQ into their operations, businesses can make substantial strides toward achieving their sustainability goals.

The award took place at the STARTUP AUTOBAHN EXPO2023, a platform that celebrates forward-thinking partnerships between tech companies and industry leaders, particularly those focusing on implementation in the automotive sector.

UBQ actively exploring environmentally-friendly solutions

“As part of Maxion's ROADMAP ZERO strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, we are actively exploring environmentally-friendly solutions across all aspects of our operations, including packaging,” said Dr. Saul Reichman, Global Director Innovation and Corporate Venturing at Maxion Wheels and Head of Maxion Advanced Technologies at Iochpe-Maxion.

“By evaluating UBQ Materials' innovative material solution for this packaging application, we embrace the opportunity to support our ambitious sustainability targets. Sustainable materials like UBQ have the potential to significantly reduce our carbon footprint and drive the transformation towards a more sustainable automotive industry,” Reichman said.

Sophie Tuviahu, VP Sales and Business Development at UBQ Materials, emphasized the potential for sustainable materials in the automotive industry. "There are clear opportunities for the implementation of sustainable, advanced materials across applications in the automotive industry,” she said, highlighting the significance of this partnership in demonstrating how sustainability can be integrated into “every aspect of the sector from consumer-facing products through to supply chain, logistics and behind-the-scenes operations.”

The Israeli climate-tech start-up has partnered with several companies in the automotive industry, including Mercedes-Benz, Teknor Apex, and Polyram. These partnerships have led to the development of high-performance thermoplastic and elastomer compounds made from unsorted municipal solid waste. UBQ Materials is also set to open a new facility in Bergen Op Zoom, Netherlands, which will have an annual production capacity of 80,000 tons of its proprietary material. The company’s hope is that this facility will play a pivotal role in transforming the region into a clean tech hub.