Industry asks court to quash Canadas single-use plastics ban

A coalition of plastics companies has sued to block Canada's ban on six single-use plastic products, challenging Ottawa's decision to declare them "toxic" and prohibit them, said Sustainableplastics.

The Responsible Plastic Use Coalition, which includes some of North America's largest resin makers and processors, is asking a federal court to quash the ban, which was announced June 20, and order the government to convene a scientific panel to review the decision. "There is no credible evidence that any of the [plastics] are 'toxic,'" RPUC said in its lawsuit. "The ban was made despite a paucity of facts and evidentiary support about the nature and extent of the environmental contamination and harm arising from the SUPs single-use plastics."

But Steven Guilbeault, the minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, said in an Aug. statement that he expects the government to prevail in the lawsuit, which is testing the ministry's 2021 decision to label plastics manufactured products "toxic" so they could be regulated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

"While a handful of plastic companies try to stop our ban on harmful single-use plastics, we are going to keep fighting for the clean, healthy environment Canadians deserve," Guilbeault said. "We're going to stick to the facts, which show very clearly that plastic pollution is harming our environment and we need to act." The Canadian ban applies to single-use retail bags, cutlery, foodservice ware that's made from "problematic" or hard-to-recycle materials, ring carriers, stir sticks and straws.

Prohibitions on manufacturing and importing start to phase-in in December, with exports banned in 2025. Guilbeault called on Canada's plastics industry to support government plans for net-zero waste, including requiring plastic products to have at least 50 percent recycled content by 2030, limiting the "chasing arrows" symbol to products that Canadian recycling plants can "actually process" and creating a registry that would collect life cycle data on plastics.

In his statement, he also called for support for a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution. Industry citesconflicts. But RPUC, which includes Nova Chemicals Corp., Berry Global Group Inc., LyondellBasell Industries and Dow Inc., said the government hasn't proven that plastic products are toxic under CEPA.

In a lawsuit filed July 15, it suggested the bar to regulation of plastic products under CEPA should be similar to that for drugs or guns. "The substance must pose a threat or danger, in the same way that Parliament regulates other threats or dangers to the public, peace, order, health and security such as the regulation of narcotics and firearms pursuant to its criminal law power," RPUC said.

It argued the ban could allow the same plastic container to be sold in a hardware store to package nails but be banned from being sold in a grocery store to hold food. "The same would not be true for other regulated manufactured items," RPUC said. "A firearm would not be safe for use in a restaurant, but unsafe in a hardware store."

The plastics companies, which also filed a related lawsuit last year challenging the "toxic" CEPA listing broadly, said the government must conduct a life cycle assessment of the environmental impact of alternatives to plastic. "Such an assessment would include an investigation of the impacts of manufacture, raw materials, treating or preventing effluent, transportation of substitute products, and new sources of alternatives to the SUPs that are to be banned," the plastics companies said.

"The [plastic companies] do not dispute that reducing plastic pollution is desirable, but doing so should not come at the cost of increased environmental damage," RPUC said. Industry groups have previously argued that the government should focus on helping to develop recycling technologies and building end markets for recycled plastic, and said they worried a "toxic" listing would scare off investment in the country.

As per MRC, Brenntag, the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution, has become the exclusive distributor of Nouryon’s specialty polymers in the United State and Canada. As the sole distributor of Nouryon’s proprietary LumaTreat™ polymers, Brenntag can offer a portfolio including the patented LumaTreat™ smart-tagged polymers, Aquatreat™, Versaflex™, and Versa™ polymers which offer scale control and dispersancy.
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Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras said it has signed a contract to sell the REMAN refinery in the northern state of Amazonas for USD189.5 MM to Ream Participacoes S.A., a subsidiary of distributor Atem, said Reuters.

In a separate filing, however, the company formally known as Petroleo Brasileiro SA said it had failed to secure a buyer for the Abreu e Lima (RNEST) refinery after the interested firms declined to offer a bid. Petrobras said it would end the sale process, and analyze its next steps.

For the REMAN refinery, the second it has agreed to sell of eight that were put up for sale, Petrobras said it would receive USD28.4 MM upfront with the rest paid when the deal closes. The sale still needs to be approved by competition regulator CADE. Petrobras said it will continue to run the refinery until the deal is completed.

The REFAP, REGAP, LUBNOR, and SIX units are still trying to attract buyers, Petrobras said.

We remind, Petrobras' Brazil-listed shares jumped almost 7% on Friday, hitting a 12-year high, after the state-run oil company smashed quarterly profit estimates and announced a record dividend payment. The company announced a USD17 B dividend payout, the largest ever, sending the firm's shares up some 3.3% in intraday trade. After the market close, the firm posted a second-quarter profit of 54.33 B reais, well above analysts' estimates, buoyed by higher margins in its fuel business. The company was on track for its fifth straight day in the black, with accumulated gains this week coming to 16%.
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Honeywell announced it will upgrade ExxonMobil’s existing operations control systems to Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) at their downstream refinery and chemical plant operations worldwide, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

As the program’s main automation contractor, Honeywell will deliver systems and software, detailed engineering and lead procurement for the integrated control system and construction. The migration will utilize Honeywell technology to evolve the legacy system to Honeywell’s flagship control system, the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS).

“Honeywell’s technology will enable ExxonMobil to upgrade control systems at its global refinery and chemical sites safely and reliably with no downtime.” said Ujjwal Kumar, president, Honeywell Process Solutions.

“This project is a testament to Honeywell’s commitment to providing continuous evolution – allowing systems to upgrade in place over decades of time. Doing so in a manner which preserves customer built in knowledge while also offering modern control system capabilities,” said Jason Urso, chief technology officer, Honeywell Process Solutions.

Honeywell has a long track record as a vendor for control and safety technology with ExxonMobil globally, providing solutions and services across the company’s downstream and upstream portfolio.

As per MRC, Honeywell launched communications systems and bi-directional amplifiers (BDA) that cover the entire Public Safety spectrum, providing scalable solutions to support first responder emergency radio connectivity even in challenging environments.

We remind, Shanghai Honeywell announced that China Tianying (CNTY) has selected the Honeywell UpCycle process technology to use in a new advanced plastics recycling plant to be built in Jiangsu Province, China, said Apic-online.
The facility, which will be the first commercialized waste plastics recycling facility using the UpCycle process in China, will convert mixed waste plastics into polymer feedstock. A schedule for the project was not given.
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Shell said this week it plans to shut for two weeks in September a key crude oil pipeline in Gulf of Mexico that supplies oil to Louisiana refineries, said Reuters.

The Odyssey and Delta crude pipelines in September will be shut for planned maintenance early-to-mid September, Shell said in a statement.

The pipelines transport Heavy Louisiana Sweet crude from offshore oilfields and switching to other pipelines is not an option, Shell added.

The Odyssey pipeline in the eastern Gulf of Mexico has 220,000 barrels per day capacity and is connected to the Delta pipeline with deliveries into terminals in Louisiana and to Shell's Norco refinery.

As per MRC, Shell posted record results, with a USD11.5 billion second-quarter profit smashing the mark it set only three months ago, lifted by strong gas trading and a tripling of refining profit. Higher feedstock and utility costs and higher turnaround activities hit Shell’s chemicals earnings in the second quarter. Shell reported an loss attributable to shareholders for the business of USD158m.
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Amcor announced that it will be selling its three factories in Russia, said Polymerupdate.

This announcement is in line with its statement in March regarding scaling down activities and exploring strategic options for its Russia operations. Until completion of the sale, which is currently expected to occur in the second half of its 2023 fiscal year, Amcor remain committed to supporting its employees and customers, while preserving value for shareholders through an orderly sale process.

The guidance Amcor provided for FY23 in its recent year-end results takes into account a number of potential outcomes regarding the sale of Amcor’s factories in Russia. Amcor’s quarterly and year-end financials for FY22 can be found here.

We remind, Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, announced an investment to establish new thermoforming capabilities for medical packaging in its Sligo, Ireland, healthcare packaging facility. The multi-million-dollar investment will strengthen Amcor’s leadership in the growing industry for sterile packaging, offering customers in Europe and North America another site with comprehensive healthcare solutions.

Amcor is a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home and personal-care, and other products. Amcor works with leading companies around the world to protect their products and the people who rely on them, differentiate brands, and improve supply chains through a range of flexible and rigid packaging, specialty cartons, closures, and services. The company is focused on making packaging that is increasingly lighter weight, recyclable and reusable, and made using an increasing amount of recycled content. In fiscal year 2022, 44,000 Amcor people generated USD15 billion in annual sales from operations that span 220 locations in 43 countries.
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