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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borealis is
spearheading an innovative new pilot to test the advantages of a double-closed
loop reuse and recycling system, leading the transition towards a more circular
economy of plastics, fully in line with its ambition, according to the
company's press release..
Borealis Closes The Loop sees Borealis and its
value-chain partners replace the 1.5 million single-use cups used annually at
four of its Belgium sites with 30,000 reusable EcoCore cups. Part of Borealis’
mission to Reduce - Reuse - Recycle, the pilot first reduces the
weight of plastics through these extremely lightweight cups, then reuses them to
maximise their lifetime before seeking to recycle back into cups. This
double-closed loop system is Borealis’ latest innovation in driving the circular
economy of plastics, expanding their scope up the waste hierarchy towards reduce
and reuse, and using their own sites to demonstrate the benefits.
Many
reuse initiatives today focus on the consumer, for example reusable cup schemes
run by high-street coffee shops. Schemes like this can have a relatively low
uptake as the burden is on the consumer to decide whether or not they reuse a
cup. In the business environment, reuse schemes are less prevalent and there is
widespread consumption of single-use plastic cups. By using a double-closed
loop, the pilot aims to make reuse schemes more sustainable and economically
viable. Replacing 1.5 million single-use cups with 30,000 reusable cups,
weighing 15 grammes per cup, results in a material saving of 4.2 tons of
single-use plastic per year.
Borealis Closes The Loop pilot project works
as follows:
- Lightweight and durable EcoCore foamed
cups from Bockatech – engineered to require less material, with faster cycle
times to lower material costs, energy use and environmental impact – reduce the
amount of plastic from the outset.
- Produced
locally by Miko Pac, the CO2 breakeven of these cups versus single use is only
at two refills per day.
Using Miko Coffee Services machines, employees reuse
the same cup throughout the day, eliminating on average four single-use
consumptions. Cups are collected and washed by facilities company
Goodless.
- Cups are individually tagged with unique
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips so the reuse cycle of each cup can
be traced. This digitalisation means the system can be further optimised, for
example analysing how many cups have been used and potentially reducing the
number in circulation.
- When cups are removed from
the reuse loop (for example due to wear and tear or damage), they move on to the
material recycling loop.
- The cups can then be
mechanically recycled into food-approved recycled material, which can be used to
create more reusable cups, thereby fully closing the loop. This is as opposed to
open-loop recycling, where material is often downcycled into a lesser quality
product.
Findings and learnings from the pilot will be captured, recorded
and published to demonstrate how to design and set up robust reuse systems
superior to single-use plastics. Borealis will support its customers and
value-chain partners with the implementation of further closed-loop
systems.
“As a leading polyolefins producer, Borealis takes a 360°
approach in driving the transition to a circular economy in alignment with our
EverMinds ambition. With design for circularity at its core, Borealis Closes The
Loop pilot project adopts our principles of Reduce - Reuse - Recycle,”
says Lucrece Foufopoulos, Borealis Executive Vice President Polyolefins,
Circular Economy Solutions and Innovation & Technology. “Life demands
progress. It’s only by walking the talk that we can inspire the entire
value-chain to close loops with us. As an industry, it’s critical we take
ownership of where plastics end up. The double closed-loop system is another
development in reducing the amount of plastics waste. This is how we re-invent
for more sustainable living.”
As MRC reported
previously, the 380,000-metric tons/year steam cracker at Porvoo, Finland,
operated by Borealis, resumed normal operations in early December after the
company declared force majeure following a technical failure on 11 November. The
cracker was shut down to allow necessary repair works, according to Borealis.
The company began restart operations on 23 November, 2020.
Ethylene and
propylene are feedstocks for producing PE and PP.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report,
Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,760,950 tonnes in the first ten
months of 2020, up by 3% year on year. Only high density polyethylene (HDPE) and
linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments increased. At the same time,
PP shipments to the Russian market reached 978,870 tonnes in
January-October 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports
plus imports minus producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of
exclusively of PP random copolymer increased.
Borealis is a leading
provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals
and fertilizers. With headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Borealis currently
employs around 6,500 and operates in over 120 countries. |
