Clariant’s Additives business has received a 2025 Schneider Electric Outstanding Supplier Award presented during Schneider Electric’s Global Supplier Day in Copenhagen. The distinction is notable because Clariant is not a direct supplier to Schneider Electric, but operates further upstream in the value chain. The award underlines the strategic role of Clariant’s halogen-free flame retardant technologies in supporting Schneider Electric’s safety and sustainability objectives.
Clariant has built a position as a global provider of halogen-free flame retardant solutions supported by an extensive portfolio of patents and proprietary technologies. Within this portfolio, Schneider Electric places particular emphasis on Clariant’s Exolit OP technology, which offers halogen-free flame retardant systems designed to comply with stringent fire safety requirements. Clariant’s supply resilience measures, including significant investment in its Daya Bay production sites in China, contribute to a reliable supply of these specialty additives and have further reinforced the cooperation between the two companies.
According to Zhigang Miao, Head of Clariant Additives, the recognition confirms the company’s strategic direction in the additives segment. “This award is a testament to our commitment to innovation and sustainability in the additives sector,” said Miao. “By developing halogen-free flame retardants and anticipating future regulatory requirements, we’re helping partners like Schneider Electric build a more sustainable future.”
Focus on halogen-free flame retardant systems
The cooperation between Clariant and Schneider Electric is centered on the transition to safer, halogen-free flame retardant solutions for electrical and electronic applications. Schneider Electric regards Exolit OP technology as a key enabler for meeting demanding flame retardancy standards while phasing out halogenated substances. These systems are designed to deliver the required fire performance and processing characteristics without relying on traditional halogenated flame retardants.
Beyond product performance, the partnership also reflects Schneider Electric’s broader environmental and product stewardship ambitions. The companies have implemented the GreenScreen methodology to support the selection and integration of materials characterized by high circularity potential and low toxicity profiles. This approach aligns material choices with Schneider Electric’s environmental goals and is intended to strengthen the sustainability credentials of its product portfolio.
Methodology and product stewardship
The use of GreenScreen, a methodology for comparative chemical hazard assessment, provides a structured framework for evaluating flame retardant technologies against criteria such as human health and environmental impact. Within the collaboration, this tool is applied to identify solutions that not only satisfy regulatory and safety requirements but also contribute to reduced hazard profiles over the full product life cycle.
By embedding this assessment into material selection and qualification processes, Schneider Electric and Clariant are aiming to link regulatory preparedness with broader product stewardship. The focus on low-toxicity, circular-ready materials is positioned as a way to anticipate future regulatory developments and to reduce the risk of later substance substitution or redesign.
Tier 3 positioning and value chain collaboration
An important aspect of the cooperation is Clariant’s role as a Tier 3 supplier in Schneider Electric’s value chain. Rather than limiting strategic collaboration to direct, Tier 1 suppliers, Schneider Electric has identified Clariant as a critical innovation partner at an earlier stage of the materials and components chain. This structure is presented as a new model of value chain collaboration intended to secure access to high value added technologies and to shorten the path between materials innovation and end-product differentiation.
By engaging with Clariant at this upstream level, Schneider Electric can influence the development and deployment of flame retardant technologies that support its long-term specifications and sustainability roadmap. For Clariant, the arrangement offers deeper insight into downstream requirements and application challenges, which can be fed back into research and development activities for additives used in engineering plastics and related polymer systems.
“Clariant exemplifies the innovative thinking we need from our partners across the value chain,” said Ludovic Audoin, Vice President of Raw Materials & Fabricated Components at Schneider Electric. “Their technological leadership in flame retardants has been instrumental in helping us achieve product-level differentiation. This strategic sourcing model demonstrates how innovation can be unlocked through deep collaboration beyond Tier 1 suppliers.”
Impact on specialty additives and sustainability goals
The Outstanding Supplier Award reinforces Clariant’s positioning in the market for sustainable specialty chemicals, including polymer additives for flame retardancy. The company’s work on halogen-free systems and its cooperation with Schneider Electric illustrate how specialty additives can be aligned with both performance requirements and environmental objectives.
On the performance side, flame retardant additives must enable end products to meet applicable fire safety standards, process efficiently in the selected polymer matrix and remain compatible with other formulation components. On the environmental side, there is increasing pressure from regulators, customers and end users to reduce the use of substances of concern and to improve the recyclability and circularity of plastic components. The collaboration described by Clariant and Schneider Electric is framed as an example of how these two sets of requirements can be addressed in parallel.
The investments at Clariant’s Daya Bay production site in China are an additional element of the cooperation. By expanding and modernizing capacity for key flame retardant products, Clariant aims to ensure supply continuity for customers operating global manufacturing networks. For equipment manufacturers such as Schneider Electric, secure access to critical additives is an important factor in managing supply risks associated with complex and geographically distributed value chains.
Through this recognition, Schneider Electric has underlined the significance of upstream innovation partners in implementing its sustainability strategy and in differentiating its product portfolio on safety and environmental performance. For Clariant, the award highlights market acceptance of its halogen-free flame retardant technologies and its broader commitment to developing specialty additives that respond to both regulatory trends and customer specifications.
Left to right: Ludovic Audoin, Vice President of Raw Materials & Fabricated Components, Schneider Electric; Zhigang Miao, Head of Additives, Clariant; Vanya Manolova, Vice President of Europe Procurement, Schneider Electric
