Origin Materials and Husky achieve commercialization milestone for advanced packaging

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Origin Materials and Husky Technologies announced a milestone in the commercialization of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) incorporating the sustainable chemical FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) for advanced packaging and other applications, said Petnology.

Origin Materials, a carbon negative materials company with a mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials, and Husky Technologies announced a milestone in the commercialization of PET incorporating the sustainable chemical FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) for advanced packaging and other applications.

Origin successfully polymerized the bio-based sustainable chemical FDCA into the common recyclable plastic, PET, and Husky molded the resulting “PET/F” hybrid polymer into preforms that were then blown into bottles. The companies used Husky’s injection molding technologies and manufacturing equipment, a commercial manufacturing-scale level of processing demonstrating the ability of PET/F, a polymer made with FDCA, to be integrated into existing PET production systems.

Origin expects to develop and sell a family of 100% bio-based, low-carbon PET/F polymers offering full recyclability and superior performance compared with traditional 100% petroleum-derived PET. Origin anticipates that PET/F will offer “tunable” performance, with properties like enhanced mechanical performance and superior barrier properties enabling longer shelf life controlled by adjusting manufacturing conditions and the quantity of FDCA copolymer.

This innovation demonstrates a pathway for the drop-in market adoption of FDCA to produce superior polymers cost-effectively from biomass using Origin technology. Origin expects to enable the production of FDCA, PEF (polyethylene furanoate), and PET/F at commercial scale using its patented technology platform, which turns the carbon found in sustainable wood residues into useful materials, while capturing carbon in the process.

We remind, Origin Materials, a leading carbon negative materials company with a mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials, and Husky Technologies, a pioneering technology provider enabling the delivery of essential needs to the global community, announced a milestone in the commercialization of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) incorporating the sustainable chemical FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) for advanced packaging and other applications.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borouge PLC, a leading petrochemical company that provides innovative and differentiated polyolefin solutions, and Borealis, one of the world’s biggest polyolefin manufacturers, announced the launch of two new sustainable polymer products for the automotive industry, in line with both companies’ sustainability drive, said the company.

Made from up to 70% recycled materials, these are the first sustainable products developed at Borouge’s Compounding Manufacturing Plant (CMP) located in Shanghai, China, which recently received ISO 14067 certification for carbon footprint assessment.

Rainer Hoefling, Chief Executive Officer, Borouge Pte Ltd., said: “The launch of our latest products signals our strong commitment to sustainability. By using recycled materials, and developing products with a lower carbon footprint, we demonstrate how circular economy goals are achievable with tangible results today. We are proud of the relentless efforts and talent of our team, who embrace sustainability and ensure that our innovative solutions enable the rapid transition of the automotive industry towards a lower carbon footprint.”

The new polypropylene (PP) solutions, made from up to 70% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials, have undergone ISO 14067 carbon footprint assessment certified by TUV Rheinland*, covering the products’ entire life cycle (from cradle to gate). These new grades reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption while delivering similar performance and consistent quality as original virgin compounds. The high PCR polymer content in these compounds supports the need to increase circularity and optimizes the use of precious natural resources.

The first solution, GD3565SYC, is a glass fibre reinforced polypropylene, containing 50% PCR, offering unprecedented performance, easy processability and excellent long-term heat resistance. With these properties, the product is considered ideal for under-body shields, bumper brackets and structural parts in cars. This grade reduces the carbon footprint by about 28% compared with virgin grades and can replace current virgin grades at Borouge's CMP without affecting quality standards.

The second solution, ED0701SYC, is an un-filled PP grade free of talc or glass fibres designed for the manufacture of wheel arches and other exterior components and contains a mixture of up to 70% post-consumer polypropylene and polyethylene. This material reduces carbon footprint by 32% compared to virgin grades while offering a perfect balance between impact strength and stiffness. Coupled with good processability and stability, the grade offers good surface quality for exterior applications.

We remind, Borouge Plc, a leading petrochemical company that provides innovative and differentiated polyolefin solutions, has entered into a Distribution Agreement with one of the biggest polyolefin distributors in East Africa, Somochem.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Westlake's Performance and Essential Materials (PEM) income from operations for 2Q 2023 of USD215 mln decreased by USD750 mln from 2Q 2022 income from operations of USD965 mln, said the company.

PEM's segment operating margin declined from 31% in 2Q 2022 to 10% in 2Q 2023 and EBITDA margin decreased from 37% in 2Q 2022 to 20% in 2Q 2023. Sequentially, Performance and Essential Materials income from operations decreased by USD188 mln as compared to 1Q 2023.

Sales volumes for Performance and Essential Materials decreased 4% while Housing and Infrastructure Products sales volumes increased 13% from the first quarter of 2023. Overall sales volumes for the Company increased 1% sequentially from the previous quarter. When compared to the second quarter of 2022, PEM sales volumes decreased 10% while HIP sales volumes decreased 18% resulting in a 13% overall sales volume decline for the Company.

In the second quarter of 2023, PEM's EBITDA margin decreased to 20% from 26% in the first quarter of 2023 while HIP's EBITDA margin increased to 22% from 20% over the same period of time. When compared to the second quarter of 2022, PEM's EBITDA margin decreased to 20% from 37% while HIP's EBITDA margin was unchanged at 22%.

We remind, Westlake’s Q1 net income fell 47.9% year on year to USD394m, the US-based chemicals and building products company reported. The main reasons for the decline were: Lower average sales prices and integrated margins in the company’s Performance Materials segment; Lower production and sales volumes, especially in the Housing and Infrastructure Products (HIP) segment. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 36.5%, and the EBITDA margin fell to 25%, from 32% in Q1 2022.

Westlake is a global manufacturer and supplier of materials and innovative products that enhance life every day. Headquartered in Houston, with operations in Asia, Europe and North America, we provide the building blocks for vital solutions — from housing and construction, to packaging and healthcare, to automotive and consumer.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Origin Materials, a carbon negative materials company with a mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials, today announced it has created “all PET” (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle caps, making “100% recycled PET” possible from cap to bottle to improve post-consumer recycling, said Petnology.

Origin’s PET caps are more sustainable than common alternatives because they may be produced with any type of PET, from recycled PET to Origin’s 100% bio-based, carbon-negative virgin PET. PET offers better oxygen and CO2 barrier than HDPE and PP, common cap materials.

Origin’s patent-pending, cost-competitive design and manufacturing innovation aids in producing “mono-material” products. These are composed of only a single type of material, are typically easier to recycle than products made from multiple materials, and are highly sought-after for consumer packaged goods to improve recycling.

“We identified a global sustainability challenge and an opportunity to solve it,” said John Bissell, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Origin Materials. “An all-PET bottle and cap and closure system is an obvious, necessary next step in beverage packaging and recycling. With our process, we can make caps from 100% recycled PET or 100% bio-based PET, unlocking important sustainability and potentially performance benefits for our customers.”

Origin’s innovation is expected to begin to address an approximately $65 billion global caps and closures market, anticipated to grow to USD96 billion by 2030.

We remind, Origin Materials, Inc., the world’s leading carbon negative materials company with a mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials, and Terphane, part of Tredegar Corporatio, a global leader in specialty PET polyester films (“BOPET”), announced today a strategic partnership to produce sustainable, high-performance bio-polymer films.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, one of the world’s largest producers of recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) resin, announced the completion of the expansion of its recycling facility in Brazil, supported by a ‘Blue Loan’ from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank, said the company.

The recycling facility, located in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is increasing its production capacity from 9 thousand tons to 25 thousand tons per year of PET made from post-consumer recycled (PET-PCR) material. The project is part of Indorama Ventures’ Vision 2030 ambition to continue building a sustainable global company, including spending USD1.5 billion to increase its recycling capacity to 50 billion PET bottles per year by 2025.

PET is a unique and widely used plastic for water and soda bottles and the most recycled plastic in the world. Indorama Ventures, the world’s largest provider of recycled PET resin used to make beverage bottles, invested US$20 million to optimize its Brazil facility’s processes and acquire new equipment such as washing machines to help remove labels, grind bottles in water and reduce water consumption by 70%.

In November 2020, the IFC provided USD300 million in Blue Loan funding to Indorama Ventures with the objective of increasing recycling capacity and diverting plastic waste from landfills and oceans in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, India, and Brazil—countries which are grappling with mismanaged waste and serious plastic waste in the environment. Blue Loan funds are certified and tracked for projects that support sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. Indorama Ventures has secured a total USD2.4 billion in long-term sustainable financing from various financial institutions between 2018–2022 to support sustainability projects.

We remind, Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, a global sustainable chemical producer, and Carbios, a biotech company developing and industrializing biological solutions to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, announce today the signing of a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a Joint Venture for the construction of the world’s first PET biorecycling plant in France.

Indorama Ventures has secured a total USD2.4 billion in long-term sustainable financing from various national and international financial institutions between 2018–2022. The funds are supporting the company’s expansion and sustainability projects in line with its strategy under Vision 2030 as a purposeful company with ESG at its core.

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