The Geleen facility
SABIC has launched its first ever portfolio of certified renewable polyolefins. EPPM spoke with the global petrochemicals firm to discuss the first grades, sales and marketing plans, as well as the future of renewables.
The portfolio, which includes renewable polyethylenes and polypropylenes, is aimed chiefly at the packaging industry, though the group says that the technology is applicable to all of its polyolefins grades, starting with those produced at its Geleen site in The Netherlands — and potentially all market applications.
Mark Vester, SABIC’s Business Unit Director LD/LLDPE, Europe, told EPPM: “In principle there should be no difference between these new polyolefins and existing grades, in relation to applications. However in the end it is the customer who needs to test for suitability in the applications.”
In terms of market potential, and the future of SABIC’s foray into renewables, Vester said: “The market is still relatively small when compared to the rest of the polyolefins market. But it has the potential to grow.
“This project sits perfectly within our mission to obtain a leadership position in sustainability. So we plan to drive this forward as much as we can.”
SABIC says it is the first petrochemicals company to be able to produce renewable second generation PP & PE from renewable feedstock ; it attributes its progress to its position in Europe, which allows the group to be able to crack heavy renewable feedstocks made from waste fats and oils in its assets.
“SABIC’s market-leading move into the certified renewable polyolefins area is linked to the needs of our customers who increasingly require sustainable packaging solutions in response to both consumer and regulatory demands”, said Mosaed Al-Ohali, EVP Polymers, SABIC.
“It is a winning solution for our customers, as these materials can be converted readily on their existing equipment with no investment needed, and can contribute to an improvement of sustainability of their products”, he added.
“We have optimised our technology to allow the production of renewable PP and PE using renewable feedstocks, which are made from waste fats and oils and are not in direct competition with the food chain, with equal performance to those produced with fossil fuels,” said Vester.
“This technology has the potential to revolutionise both the plastics and packaging industry across Europe and around the world,” he continued.
In addition to external, third-party audits to obtain the renewable certification, SABIC undertook an internal Life Cycle assessment.
Speaking with EPPM, Dr. Steven de Boer, Director Innovation and Sustainability, Polymers explained the process: “For the process certification we worked with the ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification organisation), and of course there’s all kinds of requirements, especially with regards to our handling of the feedstock, and the business systems behind it. So we went through two steps: first, we had to show how our business works, and where our feedstock comes from, and then we had to have on-site audits to confirm that our systems comply. The whole process can be compared with obtaining an ISO certification.”
“SABIC is a big company, and we have internal resources on par with any LCA institute. A typical LCA would go from cradle-to-grave, but in this case we were able to cut short the analysis, because the product leaving our gate is essentially the same as a fossil-feedstock product. So we focussed the LCA on the upstream processes.”
In addition, SABIC worked closely with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs under a Green Deal, on the concept of ‘sustainability certificates’, with the objective of encouraging the production and use of bio-based polyolefins within the industry.
The ISCC Plus certified polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) materials will be produced initially at SABIC’s production facilities at Geleen in the Netherlands. SABIC confirmed that the grades will be made available through existing sales channels.