Berry Global Group forms closed-loop recycling ecosystem

In the effort to increase the availability of postindustrial recycled materials and reduce its dependence on virgin polymers, Berry Global Group Inc., Evansville, Indiana, has announced it will use a closed-loop recycling system to aid in the manufacturing of its Endura product line, said Recyclingtoday.

The system was first introduced earlier this year at six of the company’s existing European locations. Through it, Berry supplies customers with nonwoven materials, receives postindustrial materials from the conversion processes of its customers and incorporates recycled content into Berry’s Endura nonwovens line.

According to Berry, Endura Spunbond and Meltblown products contain up to 90-percent-recycled content for use in applications like disinfectant wipes, home and bedding, roofing and carpet tiles.

“Customers look to Berry for help in reaching their sustainability goals,” says Achim Schalk, executive vice president/general manager Health, Hygiene and Specialties Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Through our size and scale, we have the unique ability to invest and commercialize innovative, sustainable solutions to increase recycled content, reduce emissions and promote circularity."

Through the use of the Endura line and closed-loop recycling, Berry will gain increased access to recycled plastic. The company says the use of postindustrial materials results in a 70 percent reduction of Scope 1 CO2 equivalent emissions during the manufacturing process, per kilogram, versus virgin materials, and will directly impact its target to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25 percent from 2019.

Berry says products under the Endura line are recognized under the SCS Recycled Content Certification, which measures the percentage of recycled content for the purpose of making an accurate claim in the marketplace, allowing customers the ability to include the SCS logo on-pack.

We remind, PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG), the petrochemical arm of PETRONAS, and ExxonMobil have signed a memorandum of understanding to assess the potential for large-scale implementation of advanced plastic recycling technology to help create a circular economy for plastics in Malaysia. The companies will also evaluate opportunities to support improvements to plastic waste collection and sorting in the country. Representing PCG at the signing was Ir. Mohd Yusri, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, and for ExxonMobil, Dave Andrew, Vice President of new market development.
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Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd. commissions expansion of Caustic Soda Plant at Dahej, said the company.

Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd. has successfully commissioned expansion of Caustic Soda Plant at Dahej Complex and started production of Caustic Soda on 20th September, 2022 from newly installed facility.

The Board of Directors of the Company had earlier approved the expansion of Caustic Soda Plant of Dahej Complex from 785 TPD to 1310 TPD and installation of 65 MW Coal based Power Plant at Dahej Complex.

We remind, on 4 Aug 2022, Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited released its unaudited financial results for the 1Q FY 2023 ended 30 Jun 2022. Four tables present the company's financial performance for 2022 and 2021. For the standalone results for the quarter, total income amounted to Rup 113,422 lakhs, an increase from Rup 73,169 lakhs in the same quarter of 2021. Total expenses amounted to Rup 79,796 lakhs, up from Rup 63,857 lakhs. Profit amounted to Rup 22,207 lakhs, an increase from Rup 6350 lakhs. For the consolidated results for the quarter, total income amounted to Rup 113,422 lakhs, an increase from Rup 73,169 lakhs in the same quarter of 2021. Total expenses amounted to Rup 79,796 lakhs, up from Rup 63,857 lakhs. Profit amounted to Rup 19,087 lakhs, an increase from Rup 6312 lakhs. (1 crore=10 M, 1 lakh=100,000).

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Eastman Chemical Company announced that Travis Smith has been named Senior Vice President, Additives & Functional Products (AFP). Effective October 10, 2022, Smith will be assuming AFP responsibilities from Executive Vice President Lucian Boldea, who is stepping down to pursue an opportunity outside of Eastman, said the company.

“I am excited to welcome Travis to the Executive Team. Travis brings decades of business and operational experience and deep industry knowledge to our executive leadership,” said Mark Costa, Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer. “He is well respected for his pragmatic approach and numerous contributions advancing Eastman’s transformation to a leading material innovation company. We are fortunate to have a deep bench of talent at Eastman, and Travis’s appointment underscores our continued efforts to cultivate leaders across our organization. We look forward to benefitting from Travis’s expertise and insights as we continue to deliver on our innovation-driven growth strategy and create value for our shareholders."
Smith joined Eastman in 1992 and currently serves as Division President, Films. He has held several roles instrumental to the company’s growth and transformation, including vice president and general manager, performance films, and Asia Pacific regional business director, specialty plastics. Smith received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

“On behalf of the Board and management team, I want to thank Lucian for his many years of service to Eastman,” said Costa. “Lucian is a proven leader who has been instrumental in driving our transformational strategy forward. We are grateful for his outstanding leadership, especially during these last several years of unprecedented global challenges. I know Lucian will do well in his future endeavors, and we wish him continued success."

As per MRC, Eastman announced a planned increase of its Therminol 66 heat transfer fluid manufacturing capacity in Anniston, USA. The plant expansion is expected to be complete in 2024. With the expansion of its capacity for Therminol 66, Eastman increases its production volume for this heat transfer fluid in the US by 50?%. The expansion of the company’s plant in Annistion, USA, is expected to be completed in 2024.

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability.
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Americas Styrenics (AmSty), Houston, as signed a memorandum of understanding with The Woodlands, Texas-based Encina Development Group that enables AmSty to purchase up to 250,000 tons per year of circular feedstocks from Encina’s facilities, said the company.

Encina produces circular materials using advanced recycling technology that works at the molecular level. AmSty also has signed a formal long-term offtake agreement for the purchase of circular feedstocks from Encina’s first U.S. commercial plant in Point Township, Pennsylvania, which is expected to begin production in early 2025. These circular feedstocks will then be available for purchase as recycled-content credits, based on the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC Plus) mass-balance system.

AmSty has committed to ensure that all its polystyrene (PS) products designed for food packaging applications will contain at least 30 percent recycled content by 2030, according to a news release from AmSty.

“This new collaboration is vital to helping AmSty meet that goal and demonstrates our total commitment to a sustainable future across all of our market segments,” says Randy Pogue, AmSty president and CEO.

Tim Barnette, vice president of polymers and sustainability at AmSty, says this new agreement with Encina allows companies across AmSty’s portfolio to offer recyclable, sustainable products. “Now is the time for market leaders to join forces with us to commit to introducing circular polystyrene products at scale,” Barnette says. “We have been working diligently toward this moment and are now ready to move forward commercializing PolyRenew credits in a big way.”

Encina plans to continue to build commercial plants across the U.S. As the company continues to bring more facilities online, AmSty says it plans to enter into additional offtake agreements to purchase circular feedstocks from those facilities.

According to AmSty, both companies have received the ISCC Plus designation, which ensures the sustainability characteristics claimed by the companies are credibly validated.

We remind, Americas Styrenics (AmSty, Woodlands, Texas), the largest polystyrene producer in the Americas, and Agilyx Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Agilyx AS, a pioneer in the advanced recycling of post-use plastics, have announced an agreement to explore the development of a jointly owned advanced recycling facility. The initial scope of this project will be a 50 to 100 ton per day advanced recycling facility located at AmSty’s Styrene production facility in St. James, Louisiana.
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BP said on Wednesday two of its staff were killed after sustaining injuries in a fire at its 150,800 barrel-per-day Toledo, Ohio, refinery, said Reuters.

"The fire was extinguished last night and refinery was safely shut down and remains offline," a company spokesperson said.

"All other staff is accounted for and our employee assistance team is on site."

The cause of the fire is not known, but leaking fumes from a crude unit may have caused the ignition in another unit at the facility, a source told Reuters.

Workers finished a maintenance turnaround at the facility in recent weeks and the plant had resumed operating, according to the source.

In August, Cenovus said it would buy the remaining 50% stake it does not already own in the BP-Husky Toledo Refinery. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2022.

In 2008, Husky Energy Inc formed a joint venture with BP by acquiring a 50% stake in the Toledo refinery. The stake then moved to Calgary-based Cenovus when it combined with Husky in 2021.

We remind, BP Plc restarted the largest crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 435,000 bpd Whiting, Indiana, refinery.
BP restarted the 250,000-bpd Pipestill 12 CDU as part of restoring production at the Whiting refinery following an Aug. 24 fire, which idled key utilities forcing the entire plant to shut down.
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