Siegwerk joins Project STOP to combat plastic pollution in Indonesia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Siegwerk, one of the leading global providers of printing inks for packaging applications and labels, becomes a strategic partner of , a frontline initiative, co-founded by Borealis and SYSTEMIQ, that designs, implements and scales circular economy solutions to marine plastic pollution in Southeast Asia, said Chemweek.

Since its launch in 2017, Project STOP has welcomed various industrial and governmental partners designing, implementing, and scaling circular economy solutions to prevent plastic waste pollution. Siegwerk is now joining this strong network of system relevant players that are committed to support the establishment of on the ground solutions in Indonesia.

Every year, roughly 12 million tons of plastic waste end up in the ocean impacting community health, wealth and polluting the environment. An estimated 50% of marine debris originates from just five Asian economies: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. With an annual consumption of more than 6 million tons of plastic and an estimated ocean leakage of 1 million tons per year, Indonesia is the second largest contributor to ocean plastics. In response, the Indonesian government has created a Marine Debris Action Plan in 2017 committing itself to reduce Indonesia’s ocean plastic levels 70% by 2025. Project STOP has four core objectives; zero leakage of waste into the environment; creating more circular systems; achieving economic sustainability; and benefits to local community via creation of new jobs and reducing impact of mismanaged waste on public health, tourism and fishers.

The initiative works hand in hand with local municipalities and environmental agencies to contribute to developing a low cost and circular waste management infrastructure through city partnership projects across Indonesia. “We strongly believe that creating a circular economy is the solution to today’s global waste problem and we see it as our responsibility as global player to actively support its realization”, explains Alina Marm, Head of Circular Economy Hub at Siegwerk.

"As strategic partner of Project STOP, we are now able to deliver on our commitment in a way that empowers local communities by building a circular system to successfully tackle the very real and immediate problems of plastic waste pollution. The initiative’s overall goal is to increase recycling rates, achieve zero ocean leakage and create social benefits for local communities. It combines a rapid acceleration of waste management systems at city level with system level policy, investment, behavior change and innovation in material design approaches. By joining Project STOP we have the exciting opportunity to be an active part of a system-changing “impact” initiative concretely supporting areas with minimal to no waste management services and high plastic leakage rates by building infrastructures, empowering circular processes and encouraging behavior change”, adds Ralf Hildenbrand, President Americas and Member of the Board.

As MRC informed earlier, an estimated 11 million metric tons (MMt) of plastic waste enter the ocean every year and this will almost triple by 2040, to 29 MMt, if immediate and sustained action is not taken, according to a newly published in-depth report. This is equivalent to dumping 110 lbs (50 kilograms) of plastic on every meter of coastline around the world, it says. However, it is possible to reduce annual flows of plastic into the ocean.

According to MRC's DataScope report, PE imports to Russia dropped in January-June 2020 by 7% year on year to 328,000 tonnes. High density polyethylene (HDPE) accounted for the main decrease in imports. At the same time, PP imports into Russia rose in the first six months of 2020 by 21% year on year to 105,300 tonnes. Propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) accounted for the main increase in imports.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker announced that it will spend “mid-double digit million euros” to expand capacity of its Amsterdam, Netherlands biotech facility, said Chemweek.

Projects include expansion of the biologics, live microbial products and vaccines manufacturing units. The company will build a new 1,500 liters fermentation line and set up new cleanroom structures.

"By investing in new plants and production equipment, we are continuing to upgrade the Amsterdam site two years after Wacker took it over, and are making our company fit for the future," says Jorg Lindemann, managing director of Wacker Biotech, the company’s Dutch subsidiary.

The new fermentation line will replace an existing facility with the same capacity after a transition period. At the same time, new, improved clean room structures in the area of the existing 270-liter production line are to be created. The existing clean rooms will be gutted, completely renovated and fitted with new equipment. Among other improvements, new utility supplies are planned. These will prepare the plant to produce new classes of actives, such as pDNA and mRNA-based vaccines. These nucleic acid-based actives classes are currently playing a role in the search for a vaccine against the new SARS Cov-2 corona virus.

"The strategic investment in our Amsterdam site is an important step in our continued growth in the fast-growing market for pharmaceuticals,” says Susanne Leonhartsberger, head of Wacker Biosolutions, the company’s life science division. “The new structures, new equipment and new fermentation line will also enable us to reliably meet our customers’ demand in the next years. We will strengthen our position as one of the leading contract manufacturers in the field of microbial production of biologics," says Guido Seidel, head of the biopharmaceuticals business and managing director of Wacker Biotech GmbH.

As a contract development and manufacturing organization, Wacker Biotech combines Wacker’s biopharmaceutical activities. Wacker acquired the Amsterdam site in 2018, doubling the company’s biologics capacity. The portfolio was expanded with the production of vaccines, including polysaccharides, and live microbial products. The site has two fermentation lines currently with capacities of 1,500 and 270 liters. They manufacture microbial-derived biopharmaceuticals for clinical testing and for the commercial market. Further manufacturing potential is offered by single-use fermenters with a capacity of 250 liters together with the ancillary equipment. The site also has a fill-and-finish facility for filling and lyophilization, which enables the complete manufacture of pharmaceuticals from the active agent to the filled product.

As MRC informed earlier, Wacker Chemie operates a 90 ktpa EVA compounding plant at the Ulsan site, consisting of two lines. The second line with a capacity of 40 thousand tons of products per year was launched in 2013.

According to MRC's DataScope, in June of this year, EVA imports to Russia fell by 22.57% to 2,940 tonnes from 3,800 tonnes in the same month of last year, and by the end of January-June 2020, imports of this type of ethylene copolymer in the Russian Federation decreased by 8.16% - to 17,440 tonnes (18,980 tonnes in January-June 2019).

Wacker Chemie manufactures and markets EVA dispersions under the VINNAPAS brand name. VINNAPAS polymer dispersions are used in a wide range of industries: for the production of complex thermal insulation systems, building and tile adhesives, plaster, building mixtures and mortars, cement sealing slurries and nonwovens.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- EU Plastic Tax approved by European Council: A Danger for the EU Single Market & Recovery, said Polymercomplyeurope.

The plan foresees a EUR0.80/kg levy on non-recycled plastic packaging waste to be paid by member states into the EU budget.

While the tax has been presented by the European Commission as “contribution to the EU budget designed to incentivise member states to increase recycling from plastic waste”, the European plastics industry is warning that it might have the opposite effect. Further fiscal measures are not the most efficient tool to drive innovation and investments that are needed to meet the intended policy objectives of the Green Deal.

"As the revenues of the EU plastic tax are not earmarked to be invested into the waste and recycling infrastructure, it will not increase the recycling of plastic waste in Europe,” Said EuPC Managing Director Alexandre Dangis. "Instead, it will further increase the cost of plastic recycling and encourage the shift to other packaging materials with a bigger environmental impact. To truly increase recycling rates across Europe and protect the environment, taxation of the landfilling of plastic packaging waste would be more efficient.

Improving the recycling of plastics packaging requires considerable investment by the entire plastics value chain in innovation, new machinery, and the ecological design of plastic packaging. With expected revenues of around €6-8 billion per year flowing into the general budget of the EU, this money would not be available anymore to be invested in the transition towards a circular economy.

As a next step, further details on the tax will have to be worked out in a specific law and approved by the European Parliament and Council of the EU. While much of the details remain obscure up to now, it is already clear that the member states will have large freedom in the implementation of the measures to collect the funds to be transferred to the EU. The implementation and complexity of different schemes from country to country will lead to a host of heterogeneous measures destroying the single market.

As MRC informed earlier, an estimated 11 million metric tons (MMt) of plastic waste enter the ocean every year and this will almost triple by 2040, to 29 MMt, if immediate and sustained action is not taken, according to a newly published in-depth report.

According to MRC's DataScope report, PE imports to Russia dropped in January-June 2020 by 7% year on year to 328,000 tonnes. High density polyethylene (HDPE) accounted for the main decrease in imports. At the same time, PP imports into Russia rose in the first six months of 2020 by 21% year on year to 105,300 tonnes. Propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) accounted for the main increase in imports.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia's overall polypropylene (PP) production grew in first six months of 2020 by 24% year on year to 904,800 tonnes. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output, according to MRC's ScanPlast report.

Russian producers reduced their total PP production in June to 149,400 tonnes from 162,900 tonnes a month earlier, ZapSibNeftekhim reduced its capacity utilisation. Russia's overall PP production reached 904,800 tonnes in the first six months of 2020, compared to 732,000 tonnes a year earlier. Four out of eight producers increased their capacity utilisation, with a new producer -ZapSibNeftekhim - accounting for the main increase in the output.

The structure of PP production by plants looked the following way over the stated period.

SIBUR Tobolsk raised its capacity utilisation last month, the plant's production rose to 49,500 tonnes in June versus 38,500 tonnes a month earlier. The Tobolsk plant's overall PP production reached 218,100 tonnes in January-June 2020, down by 13% year on year.

ZapSibNeftekhim, the second Tobolsk manufaturer, produced 20,100 tonnes of PP last month versus 44,100 tonnes in May because of a scheduled shutdown for maintenance. The plant's overall output totalled 202,500 tonnes in the first six months of 2020.

Omsk Poliom increased its capacity utilisation in June, having produced 15,100 tonnes of PP, compared to 14,300 tonnes a month earlier. The Omsk plant's overall PP output was about 94,000 tonnes over the stated period, down by 13% year on year.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim produced 17,900 tonnes of propylene polymers last month versus 19,000 tonnes a month earlier. The Nizhnekamsk plant's overall output of polymer exceeded 110,000 tonnes in the first six months of 2020, compared to 105,900 tonnes a year earlier.

Tomskneftekhim produced 12,700 tonnes of propylene polymers in June versus 13,100 tonnes a month earlier. The Tomsk plant's PP output reached 77,100 tonnes in January-June 2020, up by 3% year on year.

Ufaorgsintez' PP production was about 11,000 tonnes last month versus 9,900 tonnes in May. The Ufa plant's overall output of polymer reached 65,300 tonnes in January-June 2020, down 2% year on year.

Neftekhimiya (Kapotnya) produced over 12,500 tonnes of PP in June, compared to 13,000 tonnes a month earlier. The plant's overall PP output reached 75,100 tonnes in the first six months of 2020, up by 6% year on year.

Stavrolen (Lukoil) produced 10,700 tonnes of propylene polymers last month versus 10,900 tonnes in May. The Budenovsk plant's overall production of propylene polymers exceeded 62,800 tonnes in the first six months of 2020 versus 56,100 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia's production of high density polyethylene (HDPE) totalled 892,800 tonnes in the first six months of 2020, up by 84% year on year. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output, according to MRC's ScanPlast report.
June HDPE production in Russia was 114,400 tonnes, whereas this figure was at 176,400 tonnes a month earlier, the largest producer - ZapSibNeftekhim - shut its production capacities for a scheduled maintenance. Thus, overall HDPE output in the country reached 892,800 tonnes in January-June 2020, compared to 486,400 tonnes a year earlier. All producers raised their output, but ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the greatest increase.

After the Tobolsk plant, Gazprom neftekhim Salavat and Stavrolen showed good indicators of growth in the output of material over the stated period, these producers increased their HDPE production by 5% and 6%, respectively, to 163,900 tonnes and 64,400 tonnes.

Russia's second largest polyethylene (PE) producer - Kazanorgsintez - accounted for a minimal increase in HDPE production: the output rose to 271,100 tonnes, up by 1% year on year. The growth in production of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) was the main reason.

MRC