Sabic has started-up its new polypropylene (PP) compounding line in Genk, Belgium, with a virtual inauguration event.

The new line is an addition to the company’s existing production capacity for polypropylene compounds at the Genk site and will use raw materials from Sabic’s PP plants at Gelsenkirchen, Germany, and Geleen, Netherlands. It has been equipped with large-scale extrusion technology to meet growing demand for a reliable and consistent supply of high-quality, high-performance PP compounds.

The Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse

“This investment is part of our business strategy for growth through advanced PP compound solutions designed to help customers develop next-generation lightweight applications in industries such as automotive, home appliances, and consumer goods,” said Lada Kurelec, General Manager for PP & E4P Business, Sabic. [E4P stands for elastomers, PVC, PET, polystyrene, and polyurethane.] “The added capacity also enhances our on-site production flexibility for introducing innovative new PP polymer technology without compromising the security of supply of established compound products,” said Kurelec.

The unique virtual opening was presided over by Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, Executive Vice President for Petrochemicals, and other Sabic executives, providing insight on how customers can benefit from the company’s extended capacity to drive innovation in their markets.

“We all are seeing industries evolve rapidly, with an increasing demand for high-performance PP compounds that are lighter, yet strong and durable, while meeting rigorous standards,” said Al-Fageeh. “At Sabic, we are playing our part by relentlessly pursuing cutting-edge technologies, both in production and new material development. This new production line will support our company’s strategy to develop new sustainable material solutions that help our customers achieve their goals, as we work with them in ever-closer collaboration.”

Together with Sabic’s expertise in processing and polymer science, the new compounding line opens significant opportunities for accelerating the development and implementation of high-performance and sustainable PP applications – with Chemistry that Matters.

MICROSOFT COLLABORATION

The final product contains 20 per cent recycled ocean plastic by weight

As part of a new effort to advance the use of recycled ocean plastic, Sabic and Microsoft Corporation have collaborated to create Microsoft’s first consumer electronic product. The Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse features an exterior shell containing 20 per cent recycled ocean plastic.

Ocean plastic is defined as plastic that has been certified by a third party as recovered from any ocean or ocean-feeding waterways or where it washed ashore from these locations. Ocean plastic differs from ocean-bound plastic in that ocean-bound plastic is recovered from ocean-feeding waterways, shorelines, and inland areas within a 50-km radius of the ocean. The two recycled products play complementary roles in helping address the issue of ocean plastic waste.

Microsoft began this project with an objective of creating a plastic resin made from at least 10 per cent recycled ocean plastic as part of its commitment to achieve zero waste by 2030. Sabic joined the effort to source the recycled material and to formulate a resin that satisfied Microsoft’s demanding quality standards. The Microsoft design team collaborated with technologists at Sabic to provide feedback on prototypes made with the new resin. This effort resulted in several rounds of reformulation prior to arriving at a final version that exceeded Microsoft’s initial 10 per cent goal.  The final product contains 20 per cent recycled ocean plastic by weight in its external casing or “shell.”

The Sabic-Microsoft collaboration envisions Sabic providing a new Xenoy resin for Microsoft product use that is comprised of 20 per cent ocean plastic, as part of its Trucircle portfolio and services. This new Xenoy resin with recycled ocean plastic can help reduce plastic waste in the ocean. For example, based on a resin grade comprised of 20 per cent recycled content, for every 1kT of product containing recycled ocean-plastic Xenoy PC/PET compound, an equivalent of 24 million single-use 0.5liter PET   water bottles  is removed from the ocean, ocean-feeding waterways, or ocean-adjacent shores.

This project has also provided a blueprint to demonstrate to the broader industry sector that recycling and reusing valuable plastic resins that have been recovered from the ocean, ocean -feeding waterways or where they have been washed ashore from these locations, is achievable when value chain partners use their knowledge and expertise and work together.

Remarking on these significant advances in plastics recycling, Abdullah Al-Otaibi, ETP & Market Solution General Manager at Sabic said: “Sabic faced a unique challenge in overcoming the degradation of ocean plastic to create this innovative solution - due to exposure to sunlight and water, the plastic loses many of its original properties. Our collaboration with Microsoft represents an exciting development in recycling and reusing ocean plastic to create high-quality consumer electronic products that meet Microsoft’s high-performance expectations, while also playing a role in cleaning up the world’s oceans.”

Frank Kuijpers, General Manager Corporate Sustainability at Sabic added: “This addition to our Trucircle portfolio is another demonstration of SABIC’s collaboration with the value chain to help create new value from used plastics. By creating more sustainable materials and forging new collaborations, we are setting an example for the industry in how we can transform difficult-to-recycle materials such as ocean plastic into innovative products that can meet the high-quality demands of our customers.”

 “As part of our commitment to the reduction of waste, we set out to prove the viability of recycled ocean plastic as a material for use in consumer electronics. The Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse, with an outer shell made with 20 per cent recycled ocean plastic, is the first consumer electronics product made with this Xenoy resin. We are proud of the collaboration with Sabic that created this new resin from a challenging material that would otherwise remain in the ocean as waste,” said Donna Warton, VP Supply Chain and Sustainability at Microsoft.

The collaboration builds on Sabic’s announcement in April of this year that it had become a frontrunner in the industry for the development of ocean-bound plastics. These ocean and ocean-bound materials form part of Sabic’s Trucircle portfolio and services, which showcase the company’s circular innovations and can help to provide our customers with access to more sustainable materials.