Front Cover: Open Loop Recycling – Guanidine Iron(II) Polymerization Catalyst for the Depolymerization of Polylactide (Chem. Asian J. 5/2023)

Besides closed loop recycling approaches–monomer to product to monomer–open loop recycling is a promising strategy for a circular plastics economy, preventing waste and the use of fossil resources. Polylactide (PLA), a bio-based and biodegradable polymer, is polymerized by the catalyst [FeCl2(TMG5NMe2asme)]. The same catalyst is used for the depolymerization of end-of-life PLA with different nucleophiles to obtain value-added products like lactates or lactamides, promoting an open loop approach for a sustainable circular plastics economy. More information can be found in the Research Article by Sonja Herres-Pawlis et al.