MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borealis says it has gained ISCC Plus certification for four of its production sites in Europe, with two more expected to be certified by the first quarter of 2021, enabling it to bring its renewable range of polyolefins and hydrocarbons to market, reported Chemweek.
The company’s polyolefin facilities at Porvoo, Finland; Schwechat, Austria; and Kallo and Beringen in Belgium have gained the sustainability certification, while Borealis says its sites at Stenungsund, Sweden, and Burghausen, Germany, will follow in the next quarter.
The ISCC Plus standard for recycled and bio-based materials provides supply chain traceability, verifying companies to meet specific environmental and social standards, creating a chain of custody. “This enables Borealis to certify its mass balanced production of renewable feedstock, as well as chemically recycled feedstock, with a mass balance approach crucial to transitioning towards a more circular economy of the chemical industry,” it says.
The certification enables the company to produce and offer its renewable polyolefins range of circular products, as well as renewable hydrocarbons such as ethylene, propylene, C4s, phenol, and acetone, to the market for the first time.
“As a result of certifying each of its production sites, Borealis can progress with its large pipeline of projects to drive the transition to a circular economy: supplier contracts can be finalized, and customer contracts for feedstock explored,” it says. The company is targeting 100% of its consumer products and solutions to be made of recyclable, reusable, or with renewable content, by 2025.
As MRC informed previously, the 380,000-metric tons/year steam cracker at Porvoo, Finland, operated by Borealis, resumed normal operations in early December after the company declared force majeure following a technical failure on 11 November. The cracker was shut down to allow necessary repair works, according to Borealis. The company began restart operations on 23 November, 2020.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing PE and PP.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,760,950 tonnes in the first ten months of 2020, up by 3% year on year. Only high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 978,870 tonnes in January-October 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports minus producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively of PP random copolymer increased.
Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. With headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Borealis currently employs around 6,500 and operates in over 120 countries.
MRC