Perstorp wants your help in identifying and solving a future challenge in this ever-changing world. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of their versatile Capa caprolactone thermoplastic materials, the specialty chemicals producer is launching a competition today.

The goal via this crowdsourcing initiative is to engage with visionary and technically minded people from all over the world – university students and professionals alike – to scan the horizon for potential challenges, and come up with creative ideas to address them. “We may sometimes forget, but there is a lot of brainpower available outside of Perstorp. I am sure that we will get ideas that we had never thought of”, says Eric Appelman, Vice President Innovations at Perstorp. “We’re excited that this forward-looking, approach will allow us to harness fresh, new ideas by engaging directly with the market as we aim to leverage the use of advanced biodegradable thermoplastics as a sustainable problem-solving material. The competition is directly linked to our core values: Focused Innovation, Responsibility and Reliability”.

Here is the premise for the competition: identify a challenge you think could arise in the next 40 years and build a solution using Capa Thermoplastics technology. Participants can enter individually or in teams of two. 

Perstorp’s Capa caprolactone thermoplastics are durable, strong, stiff, biodegradable, moldable at 60°C, and can be reheated and reshaped over and over again. They offer wear resistance, chemical resistance, UV resistance, gloss, adhesion, low-temperature flexibility, and many other properties.

To participate, one can start by signing up here. Submission deadline is Dec. 2, 2015. 

Submissions will be judged based on various criteria, including implementability, the degree of innovation involved, the role of Capa materials in solving the issue, the role of sustainability in the solution, the potential customer benefit, and your own, personal connection to the problem. 

The jury will consist of both external experts as well as representatives from Perstorp. Finalists will be announced in December. The jury will select a winner in April, with an awesome top prize that will consist of: an opportunity to present the winning submission at K-Fair, the world’s largest plastics show, in October 2016 in Dusseldorf, Germany (with entrance fee, travel & accommodation paid by Perstorp AB); a personal senior Perstorp mentor for one year; and a cash prize 40 000 SEK (about 4,300 Euro).

Perstorp also will award three finalist prizes. All three will present their concepts to the jury and to Perstorp senior management in February 2016 (with travel and accommodation to be paid by Perstorp). Each finalist also will receive Capa material for prototyping, as well as support from Perstorp senior experts until a winner is chosen.