Certified circular polymers from mixed plastic waste launched by SABIC and customers

28 Jan 2019 --- Alongside its customers Unilever, Vinventions and Walki Group, Saudi chemical company SABIC is launching certified circular polymers for use in a range of packaging solutions, which will be introduced into the market later this year. The certified circular polymers will be produced from a feedstock known as tacoil – a patented product from UK-based Plastic Energy Ltd. – developed from the recycling of low quality, mixed plastic waste otherwise destined for incineration or landfill.

The announcement was made in Davos at the World Economic Forum (WEF) last week, where the need for a circular economy approach to waste, such as from packaging, was a prominent theme. Also launched at the event was a first-of-its-kind reusable packaging home delivery service from TerraCycle, in collaboration with a host of leading brands such as Unilever, Nestlé and Procter & Gamble (P&G).

Sabic will process this feedstock on its production site at Geleen in the Netherlands. The finished, certified circular polymers will then be supplied to the three key customers to use in their development of high quality and safe consumer packaging for food, beverage, personal and home care products. The market foundation stage is an important step of a project recently announced by SABIC and Plastic Energy to build the first commercial plants in the Netherlands to manufacture and process the feedstock.

As a “disruptive innovation,” the introduction of the certified circular polymers will create a new value chain, where SABIC, its upstream supplier and key downstream customers work side-by-side to upcycle mixed plastic waste back to the original polymer for packaging applications.

SABIC’s strategic customers cover a wide spectrum of consumer packaging needs from Unilever’s packaging for food, personal and home care products; synthetic wine closures for consistent preservation at Vinventions; and Walki Group’s protective packaging materials for consumer products, the company describes.

“Sustainability and re-use have been part of SABIC’s mission since its inception,” says Yousef Al-Benyan, Vice Chairman and CEO, SABIC. “Today, more than ever, sustainability is a core value which drives our advanced scientific and technological expertise and our pioneering spirit. Along with our eminent customers, we are proud to launch our certified circular polymers which is a further testament to our leadership in advancing the circular economy.”

SABIC recorded a net profit of SR18.4 billion (US$4.9 billion) in 2017, while production in 2017 stood at 71.2 million metric tons.

It is also one of the founding members of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), which was recently announced. Comprising companies from across the plastic value chain, including petrochemical companies ExxonMobil and Shell, consumer companies Dow and Procter and Gamble (P&G), as well as recycling companies Veolia and Suez, the alliance has pledged US$1.5 billion towards plastic recycling and clean-up efforts over the next five years.

However, since the launch, a mounting number of critics have voiced concerns of the lack of engagement from the alliance on the continuing, and growing, production of plastics around the globe.

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