Today, leading companies in the global organic silicon industry, Dow Chemical, Wacker Chemicals, and Shinetsu Chemical, jointly released the "Organic Silicon Industry Carbon Neutrality Action White Paper", announcing that they will invest $2 billion in research and development funds, and strive to achieve full lifecycle carbon neutrality of organic silicon products by 2035 through technological innovation and industry chain collaboration. This measure marks the official entry of the silicone industry into the global green transformation wave, setting a benchmark for sustainable development in the field of chemical new materials.


Technological breakthrough: biobased raw materials and closed-loop recycling become key
According to the white paper plan, the three major enterprises will focus on tackling two major technological paths:


Biobased Siloxanes Substitution: Utilizing agricultural waste such as corn stover and sugarcane bagasse to extract silicon elements, combined with biological fermentation technology to synthesize silanol, replacing traditional petroleum based raw materials. At present, Dow Chemical has built the world's first bio based siloxane pilot line, reducing the carbon footprint of its products by 65% compared to traditional processes.
Construction of closed-loop recycling system: Develop chemical depolymerization technology for organic silicon products (such as silicone seals and silicone rubber tires) to decompose waste into monomers for reuse. The pilot project of Wacker Chemie in Germany shows that the performance of silicone rubber made from recycled materials is less than 5% different from that of raw materials, and the cost is reduced by 30%.
Industrial Chain Collaboration: Emission Reduction Across the Entire Chain from Raw Materials to Terminals
To ensure the achievement of their goals, the three companies will collaborate with over 100 upstream and downstream partners to establish a "Green Supply Chain Alliance":


Upstream: Require silicon ore mining enterprises to adopt electrified equipment to reduce carbon emissions in the mining process;
Midstream: Promote 100% use of green electricity in organic silicon monomer production factories and install carbon capture devices;
Downstream: Customize low-carbon silicon material solutions for customers in automotive, electronics, and other industries, such as providing lightweight silicon-based composite materials for new energy vehicles to help reduce vehicle weight by 15%.
Market impact: Green premium or reshaping industry landscape
According to market research firm Frost&Sullivan's forecast, the global low-carbon silicone market size will increase from $800 million in 2024 to $4.5 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 33%. Industry insiders analyze that companies that are the first to master bio based and recycling technologies will occupy the high-end market, while traditional high carbon products may face trade barriers such as EU carbon tariffs.
Li Ming, Secretary General of the China Organic Silicon Industry Association, said, "As the world's largest producer of organic silicon, China needs to accelerate technological iteration. Currently, domestic enterprises have made breakthroughs in the fields of bio based silicone oil and silicone recovery, but policy support is still needed for large-scale applications