PP-POLYMER AB

Their core work

PP-POLYMER AB is a Swedish polymer technology SME that develops and applies advanced plastic materials, with a focus on making plastics both safer and more environmentally responsible. Their core technical work involves formulating halogen-free flame retardants as drop-in replacements for persistent, hazardous additives in plastics — a materials chemistry challenge with direct industrial relevance. They have also applied their polymer expertise to environmental problems, contributing to a major European consortium on characterizing and removing plastic litter (including microlitter) from coastal and marine environments. Their value lies in bridging practical polymer chemistry with sustainability-driven applications, operating across the full plastic lifecycle from safer formulation to end-of-life environmental impact.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2015), PP-POLYMER AB focused entirely on materials chemistry — specifically eliminating hazardous halogens from flame retardant plastics, a classic industrial reformulation challenge. By 2017 they had pivoted toward the environmental consequences of plastics, joining a five-year consortium that tracked, modelled, and removed plastic debris from European coastal waters. The shift is clear: from making plastics safer at point of manufacture to dealing with what happens to plastics once they enter the environment — two ends of the same plastic lifecycle, but very different scientific communities and funding instruments.

PP-POLYMER AB appears to be repositioning at the intersection of polymer expertise and environmental accountability — a direction that aligns with tightening EU regulations on plastic additives and the growing market for plastic pollution remediation technology.

How they like to work

They have operated at both ends of the collaboration spectrum: leading a focused SME Phase 1 feasibility project independently, and joining a large multi-partner Innovation Action (CLAIM) as a specialist contributor. With 22 unique partners across 15 countries drawn primarily from the CLAIM consortium, they are clearly comfortable working in large, internationally distributed teams where they contribute a specific technical competence rather than driving the agenda. This makes them a predictable, low-friction consortium partner for projects that need polymer or materials expertise as one piece of a broader solution.

Their network spans 22 partners in 15 countries — unusually broad for a 2-project SME, explained by the large CLAIM consortium which brought together research institutes, universities, and industry across Europe. Their geographic reach is pan-European with no apparent regional concentration.

What sets them apart

PP-POLYMER AB occupies a rare niche: a polymer chemistry SME whose H2020 track record spans both materials safety (halogen-free flame retardants) and marine environmental science (plastic litter and microlitter), two domains that rarely appear in the same company profile. This dual positioning makes them relevant to consortia tackling plastic pollution who need technical knowledge of polymer properties and degradation behaviour — expertise that environmental research groups typically lack. For coordinators building projects at the plastics-environment interface, they bring industrial credibility that academic partners cannot provide.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FireFree
  As coordinator of this SME Phase 1 project, PP-POLYMER AB drove the concept development for halogen-free flame retardants — demonstrating that this small company can originate and lead EU-funded R&D, not just join consortia.
• CLAIM
  A five-year, multi-country Innovation Action on cleaning marine litter that ran until 2022, giving PP-POLYMER AB long-term consortium experience and a published track record in one of EU environmental policy's highest-profile topics.