WESTLAKE EPOXY BV

Their core work

Westlake Epoxy BV is a Dutch manufacturer of specialty epoxy resins and resin-based coating materials, operating from the Pernis petrochemical complex near Rotterdam — one of Europe's largest industrial hubs. Their H2020 participation reveals two complementary directions: developing sustainable, bio-based coating systems derived from lignin resins (with anticorrosion, fire-retardant, and antimicrobial performance), and contributing industrial formulation expertise to circular economy water management consortia. As a large industrial producer rather than a research institute, they bring manufacturing know-how and commercial resin chemistry to academic-industrial consortia. Their LIGNICOAT involvement signals a deliberate strategic move toward bio-polymer substitutes for petroleum-derived epoxy feedstocks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Westlake Epoxy's earliest H2020 engagement (WATER-MINING, starting 2020) centred on water-system circularity — wastewater, desalination, brine, phosphorus recovery, and new service business models — suggesting the company was exploring industrial symbiosis and resource efficiency adjacent to its core chemistry. By 2021, with LIGNICOAT, the focus sharpened decisively onto their home turf: resin and coating formulation, but now with a bio-based and sustainability mandate. The trajectory points clearly toward decarbonising the epoxy resin value chain — replacing fossil feedstocks with lignin and other biomass-derived monomers while maintaining or improving technical performance in demanding applications.

Westlake Epoxy is moving toward bio-based resin chemistry as a core R&D priority, making them a relevant partner for any consortium working on green materials, bio-polymer coatings, or decarbonisation of specialty chemicals manufacturing.

How they like to work

Westlake Epoxy participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have not led any H2020 project — which is typical for large industrial companies that contribute manufacturing expertise and end-user validation rather than project management. Despite only two projects, they have engaged with 57 distinct partners across 15 countries, indicating they join large, multinational consortia rather than tight bilateral collaborations. Working with them likely means access to industrial-scale resin manufacturing capabilities and a credible pathway to commercial uptake of research outputs.

Westlake Epoxy has built connections with 57 unique partners across 15 countries through just two projects, reflecting the large consortium structures typical of RIA and IA-type H2020 grants. Their network spans the Netherlands and broader European industrial and academic ecosystem, with no obvious geographic concentration beyond their Rotterdam base.

What sets them apart

Westlake Epoxy sits at an uncommon intersection: an industrial-scale epoxy resin manufacturer actively investing in bio-based and lignin-derived alternatives to its own core product line. This combination — commercial production capacity, deep formulation chemistry knowledge, and a credible sustainability transition agenda — makes them a rare industrial end-user partner who can both validate and eventually manufacture research outputs. For consortia developing bio-polymer coatings or green specialty chemicals, they offer something most academic partners cannot: a direct route from lab to production.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LIGNICOAT
  Directly targets Westlake Epoxy's core business — replacing fossil-based epoxy feedstocks with lignin-derived resins — making this their most strategically aligned H2020 involvement and a signal of long-term R&D direction.
• WATER-MINING
  The only project with recorded EC funding (EUR 198,625) and notable for its breadth — circular water systems, brine valorisation, bio-polymer recovery — showing Westlake Epoxy's willingness to engage beyond conventional coating chemistry.