SABIC propels plastics circular economy with “industry-first” chemical recycling initiative

02 Jul 2019 --- Chemical recycling specialist SABIC is set to highlight its pioneering initiative for the production of certified circular polymers at the K 2019 plastics trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany, 16-23 October. SABIC is the “first in the industry” to scale-up an innovative chemical recycling process to return mixed plastic waste back to the original polymer to help drive circular economy.

SABIC’s certified circular polymers are being produced using a pyrolysis oil feedstock from the recycling of mixed plastic waste. As part of the intended project, the company is now introducing this alternative feedstock into its Chemelot production site at Geleen in the Netherlands.

“By scaling up, SABIC refers to its intention to build a first semi-commercial unit in the Netherlands which will take pyrolysis oil produced from challenging plastic waste and use this as a feedstock in our steam crackers,” Frank Kuijpers, General Manager, Corporate Sustainability for SABIC, tells PackagingInsights. “The project will help to effectively create a cradle-to-cradle value stream, where plastics can be chemically recycled back to the original polymer. The project also demonstrates SABIC’s drive to change the model from a linear to a circular economy.”

The resultant certified circular polymers are to be supplied to brand-leading customers – Unilever, Tupperware Brands, Vinventions and Walki Group – to use in the development of pioneering, high-quality and safe consumer goods or packaging for food, beverage and personal care products.

SABIC customers and brand owners have announced the first applications to be produced using SABIC’s certified circular polymers. Vinventions, a global supplier of high-end, synthetic wine closure solutions, and Tupperware Brands, global marketer of premium food preparation, storage and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, announced they will begin introducing the circular certified polymers in new products that aid in the reduction of single-use plastic products, including a portable reusable straw and an on-the-go coffee cup.Frank Kuijpers, General Manager, Corporate Sustainability for SABIC

Transforming the value chain
As a disruptive innovation, the introduction of SABIC’s certified circular polymers aims to transform the value chain. SABIC, alongside its upstream suppliers and downstream customers, work in tandem to upcycle mixed plastic waste back to the original polymer for high-quality applications, thereby enabling circular reuse of the planet’s natural resources.

While recycling by mechanical methods makes a contribution towards circularity and remains an important process for SABIC, the rates at which it can economically recycle plastic packaging waste are limited. SABIC’s certified circular polymer process, however, enables the creation of brand new polymers, offering a real alternative to mechanical methods and closing the recycling “loop.”

“One of the advantages with chemical recycling is that it can take a broad range of contaminated, mixed plastic waste, to create virgin polymers with similar characteristics to polymers made solely from fossil-based feedstock,” Kuijpers notes. “This solution can offer a drop-in alternative for SABIC’s customers who are looking to meet the needs of various challenging applications. Also, there are limitations to the number of cycles with mechanical recycling – typically 6-8 cycles – whereas with chemical recycling, we can recycle endlessly.”

SABIC’s chemically-recycled polymers are certified through the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification plus (ISCC+) scheme that certifies renewable content and standards across the value chain from source to end product. The ISCC+ certification works on what is known as a “mass balance system,” meaning that for each ton of renewable feedstock fed into the cracker, a proportion of the output can be claimed as renewable.

SABIC intends to build a semi-commercial plant, specifically to refine and upgrade pyrolysis oil feedstock. The plant is anticipated to enter commercial production in 2021.

“To enable a genuine shift from a linear economy to a circular one, while meeting the needs of our customers and consumer, the maximum value of the plastics waste stream needs to be retained and reused,” says Bob Maughon, Executive Vice President Sustainability, Technology & Innovation Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer for SABIC. 

“SABIC has been committed to investing in scientific and technological expertise and fostering close collaborations with both upstream suppliers and downstream customers in order to overcome this challenge, and we are proud to say that we are first in the industry to scale-up this innovative chemical recycling process,” Maughon adds.

Chemical recycling is one of a number of circular solutions that SABIC is committed to. These other solutions include mechanical recycling, certified bio-renewables from second generation renewable feedstock, design for sustainability to preserve food and help minimize waste and economics and performance analysis for customer and consumer convenience and safety.

By Joshua Poole