A team of researchers from France’s CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) has developed a groundbreaking method for recycling silicone waste—offering a new way to reduce environmental damage and promote truly sustainable material use.
Their discovery, published in the journal Science, introduces the first universal chemical recycling process for silicones that could allow these materials to be reused endlessly without any loss in quality.
Silicones are used in a wide range of everyday products, from bathroom caulk and adhesives to gels, sealants, and cosmetics.
Until now, most silicone waste has either been discarded or recycled through mechanical processes, which often degrade the material.
But the CNRS team’s method goes far deeper—breaking down used silicones into their basic chemical building blocks, known as chlorosilanes, which are crucial for making new silicones.
This return to a pure form means that no new raw materials are needed to start the silicone production cycle again.
What makes this process especially exciting is that it’s chemical, not mechanical. This means it doesn’t just repurpose the material—it fully resets it, so it can be used over and over again without losing any of its original properties.
Silicones are typically made using quartz, a naturally abundant mineral.
But extracting silicon from quartz requires intense heat and energy, along with processes that release significant amounts of carbon dioxide—the greenhouse gas most responsible for climate change.
By offering a recycling method that avoids this high-emission step, the CNRS discovery could drastically cut the environmental footprint of silicone production.
Another major benefit is resource conservation.
The electronics industry heavily depends on high-purity silicon, and with demand for materials like quartz and other key minerals on the rise, finding ways to reuse what we already have is more important than ever.
This new method could ease pressure on limited mineral supplies while supporting a more sustainable materials economy.
The researchers are now working with industry partners to refine the process and make it suitable for large-scale manufacturing.
They’re also expanding their efforts to develop similar chemical recycling techniques for other types of materials, in hopes of reducing waste and promoting circular use in many more industries.
If successful, this innovation could mark a major turning point—not just for silicone recycling, but for the way we think about the lifecycle of everyday materials.
