Borealis kickstarts circular economy with waste-derived polyolefins portfolio

22 Sep 2020 --- Austrian-headquartered Borealis is launching the Bornewable portfolio of circular, premium polyolefins. The polyolefins are produced with renewable feedstock derived entirely from waste and residue streams.

As an important extension of the existing range of value-adding Borealis polyolefins, the Bornewables are suitable for food-contact and reusable packaging, healthcare, and hygiene applications.

The polyolefins can be converted into eco-friendly face masks, which are essential in the battle against COVID-19.

The Bornewable portfolio offers the same quality and performance as fossil fuel-based polyolefins but with a reduced carbon footprint.

“We looked for feedstocks that are similar enough to feed into our production units, but based on renewable sources to decouple from fossil, like bio-diesel or bio-naphtha,” Lucrèce Foufopoulos, Borealis’ executive vice president polyolefins, innovation and circular economy solutions, tells PackagingInsights.

The polyolefins can be converted into eco-friendly face masks, essential in the battle against COVID-19.“Next to that, our production units are of such a size that we cannot yet completely feed them with renewable feedstock. Mass balancing gives us the solution to overcome this and start producing renewable polyolefins even when the market is just starting to adopt this circular option.”

Circular economy solutions
The introduction of the Bornewables portfolio is an example of how Borealis is accelerating its EverMinds platform to develop technologies and products which accelerate the transition to a plastic-centered circular economy.

Foufopoulos highlights that polyolefins are “exceptionally suited” to recycling. Borealis previously launched a fully recyclable, mono-material PP laminate solution that provides high protection for hot-filled products.

Borealis customers can now employ an alternative to conventional fossil fuel-based feedstocks, lowering their products’ carbon footprint without compromising on quality or performance.

While Borealis recognizes that fossil fuel-based feedstocks will continue to be a mainstay of its international polyolefins production, significant strides have been made towards more eco-friendly feedstocks in large-scale commercial manufacture.

For example, in March this year, Borealis began producing polypropylene based on renewably-sourced feedstocks, such as Neste-produced renewable propane, at its Belgian facilities in Kallo and Beringen.

Waste no more
Unlike renewable feedstocks produced with agricultural crops grown for food and livestock feed, the Bornewables are made of renewably-sourced feedstocks derived solely from waste and residue streams, such as vegetable oil production, oil waste and residues, the timber industry, and used cooking oil.In March, Borealis began producing polypropylene based on renewably-sourced feedstocks at its Belgian facilities.

The Bornewables portfolio is ISCC Plus (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) certified. This certification system ensures the traceability of the renewable, sustainably produced feedstock from its point of origin through the entire chain of custody.

“In the spirit of EverMinds, we continue to offer customer high-performance solutions while enabling them to realize their sustainability goals,” says Foufopoulos.

Borealis has been involved in the groundbreaking ChemCycling project, involving Südpack, Zott, and BASF. In 2019, the partners developed a prototype Zott Gourmet Dairy flexible pack made from 100 percent recycled plastic.

This week in renewable materials, Israeli food-tech start-up W-Cycle developed SupraPulp, an energy- and water-saving bioplastic made of 99.99 percent bagasse, the dry pulpy residue left after the extraction of juice from sugarcane.

Innovia Films launched its first carbon-neutral BOPP label film manufactured from renewable non-food based raw materials.

By Joshua Poole