Wouter Winant's expertise in the field of polymers started as a coincidence. Without a degree in chemistry or materials, he falls in love with the intersection between material science and the environment. Now, he has been working for over 15 years as a technical manager in EconCore, a company that develops technology for the continuous production of thermoplastic honeycombs.

The name says it all - the structure of thermoplastic honeycombs mimics nature's honeycombs, and it contains 80% air. By copying nature (through the biomimicry approach), the company successfully developed an environmentally friendly lightweight material requiring less plastic. In addition, they also focus on minimizing material usage by utilizing plastic waste, closing the loop with circular product design, and increasing their continuous production efficiency to reduce CO2 emissions.

 In this podcast episode, Wouter explains his work on all fronts to develop this innovative material that can be utilized for various mobility applications. We also discuss how reducing resources impacts the economic value of a product and the importance of considering economic viability alongside with sustainability.

You can find out more about Encore at https://econcore.com/en or reach out to Wouter via LinkedIn.