MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC, a global leader in the chemicals industry, announced that the company has been collaborating with Unilever and Greiner Packaging in the development of an innovative new Knorr® bouillon container using SABIC® PP FLOWPACT FPC45 certified circular impact polypropylene (PP) from its TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio, said the company.
The selected certified circular polymer grade SABIC PP FLOWPACT FPC45 impact copolymer from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio is a phthalate-free product and compliant with various European food contact regulations. It is a drop-in solution that can replace fossil-based plastics in the packaging industry without compromising product purity and food safety. Additionally, the material offers very good flowability for ease of processing on standard injection molding equipment and robust performance for high stackability. Greiner Packaging produces the containers with lids molded in the same material and supplies them together with folded cardboard sleeves. The space-saving, stackable design of the containers and lids further supports their sustainability during transport and storage before filling.
SABIC’s certified circular polymers are produced through the feedstock recycling of used and mixed plastic that could otherwise be destined for incineration or landfill. Difficult to recycle used plastic is broken down and taken back to the molecular level by heating it at a high temperature in an oxygen-free environment, producing pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil then enters SABIC’s production chain just like fossil-based feedstock to deliver new materials in compliance with strict quality requirements, such as the European food contact safety standards for food packaging.
The appearance, functionality and safety of the new Knorr® bouillon powder packaging is exactly the same as before and the quality is likewise as high as ever. Consumers can still simply remove the cardboard sleeve from the plastic container once it is empty before disposing and recycling of the two components as usual.
“SABIC’s complete TRUCIRCLE offering comprises design for recyclability services, mechanically recycled materials, certified circular products from chemical recycling of used plastics, and certified renewable polymers from bio-based feedstock.
As MRC informed before, SABIC introduced two new radar absorbing LNP STAT-KON compounds for automotive radar sensors, significantly expanding its portfolio of these specialty materials. The new grades, based on polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resin, may be used for integration with radomes manufactured using PBT material, which can provide superior resistance to automotive chemicals. They complement and extend SABIC’s existing radar absorbing LNP STAT-KON compounds, which are based on polyetherimide (PEI) resin for withstanding higher processing temperatures or on polycarbonate (PC) resin for general applications that require high durability and a balance of physical properties. The high radio frequency (RF) absorption of these compounds can help increase detection range and improve signal resolution. Through materials innovation, SABIC is contributing to the growth of automotive radar and the design of next-generation sensors.
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.
MRC