SABIC launches first portfolio of certified renewable polyolefins

The portfolio, which includes renewable polyethylenes (PE) and polypropylenes (PP), responds to the increasing demand for sustainable materials from Sabic customers, especially those in the packaging industry.
To develop the new renewable portfolio, SABIC used its ‘Chemistry that Matter’, in which the company worked closely with customers to create materials that meet the growing requirements for sustainable materials that do not impact the food chain. SABIC is the first petrochemicals company to be able to produce renewable second generation PP & PE.

“We have optimized 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,” says Mark Vester Business Leader LL-LDPE, Sabic. The renewable polyolefins offer a performance equal to those produced with fossil fuels. Vester is confident about the future of the technology. “This technology has the potential to revolutionize both the plastics and packaging industry across Europe and around the world,” he declared.

Green Deal

In addition to confirming the validity of the concept is confirmed by an internal Life Cycle Assessment, Sabic also worked closely with the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) organization to prove the sustainability of the new feedstock. Independent third party auditors checked and ensured the reliable use of the mass balance system within SABIC.
SABIC moreover worked closely with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs under a Green Deal, on the concept of ‘sustainability certificates’, with the ultimate objective to encourage 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.