Envision Racing recently launched its Race Against Climate Change Advisory Board – a collective of experts from across science, technology, academia, and industry, brought together to accelerate the transition to a net-zero future. The board was created to unite leading voices from different sectors who are already pushing boundaries within their own fields and who, together, can help shape meaningful, cross-industry action on climate.
One of those voices is Ton de Weijer, Innovation leader at Teijin Ltd. based in the Netherlands. With over 25 years of experience bridging science, innovation, and business, Ton has held senior roles in R&D and corporate strategy across Europe and Japan. His expertise spans chemistry, artificial intelligence, sustainable materials, and circular economy solutions. Today, he leads the development of new technologies that accelerate the energy transition and enable circular business models.
In this interview, Ton shares his career journey, the sustainability challenges he’s tackling at Teijin, and why collaboration through the Advisory Board is so crucial.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I originally studied chemistry, but I always wanted to connect science with real-world business applications. While finishing my master’s, I pushed to gain industrial experience and joined AkzoNobel. That balance between academic research and business really inspired me, so when I went on to do a PhD, I structured it 50/50 between the university and industry. My research focused on artificial intelligence and data analysis in the chemical industry – in hindsight, a very relevant area to explore.
My career has followed a slightly unconventional path, but always driven by curiosity and innovation. I’ve worked across R&D, product development, mergers and acquisitions, and business development. I also spent more than 7 years in Japan, where I had the opportunity to lead a corporate R&D group – an incredible learning experience in cross-cultural management.
Most recently, I returned to the Netherlands to establish a new innovation hub for Teijin at Brightlands Chemelot Campus, a unique innovative ecosystem in the world of circular chemistry, sustainable materials and biomedical application. The Teijin Innovation Center is focused on developing products and services that contribute to environmental solutions and renewable energy. I’m always motivated by asking: where can I learn more, and how can I do something different that has real impact?
What are some of the most pressing sustainability challenges you’re working on at Teijin?
We’re focused on two main pillars. The first is renewable energy conversion. If we want to accelerate the energy transition, we need better materials for wind turbines, transportation systems and storage of Hydrogen, fuel cells, electrolysers and batteries. Efficiency is the biggest challenge today – high costs and investment needs mean we must improve the performance of these enablers. At Teijin, we’re developing advanced membranes and composites that sit at the heart of these systems and can dramatically improve efficiency.
The second is the circular economy. There is a demand and a clear need to accelerate the shift from a linear to a circular model, which changes everything – business processes, customer relationships, supply chains etc.
For a company like Teijin, this is a major transformation. One example is carbon composites: they are strong and inert, which is great for performance, but extremely difficult to recycle. Our aim is to design molecules that retain composite performance but can also be easily broken down or repurposed.
We’ve already developed resins that can be decomposed and recycled, and we’re starting to explore proof-of-concept applications. The idea is to begin with parts of a car that are less critical for safety or structure, and expand from there. It’s early stages, but the progress is exciting.
Why is the Envision Racing Advisory Board important in driving the climate agenda forward?
Like racing, innovation depends on speed, knowing what truly works and be decisive. What motivates me is listening to the other board members. We all come from different backgrounds, but share a common mission. That creates anchor points for collaboration, and that’s where the real value comes in.
Often you leave a conference or event feeling inspired, but then daily reality takes over. The Advisory Board helps sustain that momentum. I think there’s even more potential to build connections between members, to explore collaborations between meetings, and to use our networks to extend the impact.
Personally, I’ve had fascinating discussions with members about the role of AI – which is where my own career started – and how it connects to industries like fashion and textiles. Given Teijin’s expertise in materials and textiles, that’s a very close connection. Similarly, in the circular economy space, I see huge potential for cross-industry learning.
In short, the Advisory Board isn’t just about talking – it’s about creating the conditions for practical, cross-sector action. And that’s what excites me most.
