A partnership between petrochemicals company Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and liquid food packaging firm Elopak will help in making available beverage cartons coated with plastic made from SABIC’s certified renewable polyethylene.
A review by the University of Manchester which was a part of a life cycle analysis (LCA) study has revealed that SABIC's new second generation renewable polyolefins can lead to a reduction of about 84% in the amount of fossil fuels used in the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
SABIC said that while the products are certified under the ISCC Plus certification scheme, they are made to the same high specification as existing PE and PP products.
SABIC director innovation and sustainability, polymers Steven de Boer said: "This confirmation of our LCA study by a reputable independent party, confirms some fantastic results in terms of the sustainability advantage of using renewable feedstocks for the production of polyolefins.
"In addition, we are proud to announce that up to 4kg of CO2 is also saved, for each kilogram of product used in the market."
SABIC said in a statement that Elopak will be able to address the plastic packaging industry's growing demand for high performance extrusion coating films with this renewable polyethylene.
Director Corporate Environment at Elopak Kristian Hall said: "The carton is the renewable choice for packaging of beverages, and with renewable polymers from SABIC, we are able to supply packaging which is virtually 100 % renewable. This helps us continue on our journey to replace all fossil-based raw materials with renewable alternatives, as part of our Future Proofed Packaging Strategy."
These cartons made with renewable polyethylene will soon be made available in markets of Northern Europe.
Image: Elopak and SABIC will soon launch beverage cartons coated with plastic made from SABIC's certified renewable polyethylene in Northern Europe. Photo: courtesy of SABIC.
