Celanese Narrows facility recognized for achieving ENERGY STAR chanllenge for industry

Celanese Narrows facility recognized for achieving ENERGY STAR chanllenge for industry

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global chemical and specialty materials company, has announced that its Narrows, Virginia cellulose acetate tow manufacturing facility has been recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for achieving the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry (the Challenge) in 2021, as per the company's press release.

The Challenge is a call-to-action to improve energy efficiency of America’s manufacturers. By taking the Challenge, manufacturing sites set a goal to reduce their energy intensity by 10% within five years. Although the Challenge is a US-centric initiative, Celanese’s facilities outside the US participate in the Challenge as part of the company’s commitment to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

“As a result of energy-efficiency technologies and improvements, the Narrows facility has reduced Scope 1 energy and Scope 2 GHG net emissions by approximately 25,000 tCO2e annually from 2016-2020,” said Jon Mortimer, Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing for Celanese. “Across our manufacturing facilities, we are finding innovative ways to reduce energy intensity as we focus on a 10 percent energy intensity reduction goal by 2030. Narrows is our fifth site enterprise-wide to achieve the Challenge recognition to date. This significant milestone demonstrates Celanese’s commitment to strong energy management practices that produce positive results for the environment, our customers and our communities.”

The facility used a variety of energy-efficiency approaches which yielded a reduction of their energy intensity by 10.1 percent within five years.

Celanese, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2014, has been recognized by the US EPA for its superior performance in energy management and for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency. Celanese is proud of its ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year designation in 2021 for the sixth consecutive year, and the Sustained Excellence award for the fourth consecutive year.

As MRC reported earlier, Celanese Corporation has recently announced a force majeure (FM) in China for vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) shipments from its plant Nanjing, China. Celanese has temporarily shut down its acetic anhydride and VAM production in Nanjing to comply with recent requirements of government departments in order to achieve dual energy consumption targets in the Jiangsu Province in 2021. Thus, its VAM plan with the capacity of 300,000 mt/year was shut on 17 September, 2021, and its resumed operations on 9 October, 2021.

According to MRC's DataScope report, August EVA imports to Russia fell by 19,15% year on year to 2,990 tonnes from 3,290 tonnes a year earlier, and overall imports of this grade of ethylene copolymer into the Russian Federation rose in January-August 2021 by 26,36% year on year to 30,26 tonnes (23,950 tonnes in the first eight months of 2020).

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,700 employees worldwide and had 2020 net sales of USD5.7 billion.
MRC

TC Transcontinental Packaging offering new packaging made of recycled plastic

TC Transcontinental Packaging offering new packaging made of recycled plastic

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Montreal-based TC Transcontinental Packaging, a sector of Transcontinental Inc., has introduced IntegrititeTM 30 per cent post-consumer recycled (PCR) collation shrink film, said Canplastics.

For now, the new packaging can be found in the AHA Sparkling Water printed case wrap appearing on select Sam’s and BJ’s Club Store shelves this fall in the U.S. states of Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Indiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Delaware.

In a statement, officials with TC Transcontinental Packaging said the IntegrititeTM PCR collation shrink film includes 30 per cent PCR transformed into a recyclable resource. “Our R&D team has crafted a collation shrink film that is itself recyclable at store drop off locations and contains PCR without sacrificing performance, strength and durability,” said Alex Hayden, the company’s senior vice president, R&D and sustainability. “We are proud to support The Coca-Cola Co. in sourcing flexible packaging with recycled content, to contribute to the establishment of a circular economy for plastics, and to meet our shared Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment signatory vision of a future whereby plastic never becomes waste."

“By incorporating 30 per cent of PCR resin into our extruded shrink film structures, we’ve introduced a film that is close to par with virgin plastic resin performance, is recyclable at store drop-off locations, looks great on the shelf, and appeals to the consumer’s desire for a cleaner environment,” said Dustin Dyer, the company’s senior vice president, shrink and extrusion division.

As it was written earlier, aided by the addition of thermoformed polystyrene and polyester packaging and molded tubs and lids to some municipal collection programs, Canadians recycled an additional 24 per cent of plastic packaging and products in 2011 compared to 2010.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
MRC

Printex Transparent Packaging introduces clear boxes with 100 per cent post-consumer recycled PET

Printex Transparent Packaging introduces clear boxes with 100 per cent post-consumer recycled PET

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Printex Transparent Packaging (PTP), which has manufacturing plants in Montreal and New York, has unveiled new clear 100 per cent post-consumer recycled (PCR) PET plastic folding cartons that are sourced and manufactured in North America, said Canplastics.

Called Eco-PET 100, company officials say the new product is a sustainable, clear replacement for virgin PET.

“Up until now, North American PET sheet and film producers have only offered up to 25 per cent and 50 per cent post-consumer recycled content plastic for box grade packaging,” they said in an Oct. 26 news release. “Previously, it was difficult to produce a clear and un-tinted PET in 100 per cent PCR."

"New improvements in processing allow for a clear, untinted PET that’s sourced and made here in North America," PTP said. “Producing the 100 per cent PCR PET here in North America uses and cleans up our own recycled plastic."

Previously, PTP said, the clarity and quality required for box grade material was not commercially available in 100 per cent PCR, and to achieve that was very expensive. “The deterrents to its viability were both price and aesthetics,” they said. “After significant product development and testing, the quality difference to virgin material is virtually non-existent to the naked eye."

PTP also says the economics of producing this material and bringing it to market at a price point that’s more in line with many companies packaging budgets required the company to purchase this material in substantial volume from an unnamed rigid plastic film supplier. “[We] can leverage the buying power of our two manufacturing plants dedicated to clear PET packaging to justify the high volume runs,” the company said. “Our total PCR offering will now consist of three products: Eco-PET 100, Eco-PET 50 and Eco-PET 25."

In addition to its plants in Montreal and New York, PTP also operates a sales and design centre in Burlington, Ont.

As it was reported earlier, Montreal-based TC Transcontinental Packaging, a sector of Transcontinental Inc., has introduced IntegrititeTM 30 per cent post-consumer recycled (PCR) collation shrink film. For now, the new packaging can be found in the AHA Sparkling Water printed case wrap appearing on select Sam’s and BJ’s Club Store shelves this fall in the U.S. states of Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Indiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Delaware.

As per ICIS-MRC Price Report, a shortage of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) remained in the domestic market.
A source from SIBUR said that spot volumes will begin to enter to the domestic market as early as next week.
The export price of bottle grade PET in China continued to grow this week and reached its highest level over the past three years - USD1,170-1,190/tonne FOB China.

MRC

Linde Group appoints new CEO

Linde Group appoints new CEO

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Linde has announced its Board of Directors has appointed Sanjiv Lamba to succeed Steve Angel as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective March 1, 2022, as per the company's press release.

Besies, Steve Angel will succeed Wolfgang Reitzle as Chairman.

Lamba was named Linde's Chief Operating Officer in October 2020. Throughout his more than 30-year tenure with Linde, he served in various leadership roles including Executive Vice President APAC, Head of Regional Business units (South & South East Asia) and Managing Director India. In addition to his appointment as CEO, Lamba will join Linde's Board of Directors, effective March 1, 2022.

Angel was named Chief Executive Officer of Linde plc in 2018, having successfully led the merger of Linde AG and Praxair into the world's largest global industrial gases and engineering company. Under his leadership, the company implemented a culture of operational excellence and capital discipline which, when combined with industry leading growth, generated 100% Total Shareholder Return over the last three years. Prior to his role as Linde CEO, Angel served as Chairman, President and CEO of Praxair, Inc. since 2007.

As MRC reported earlier, in JUne 2021, SIBUR -Neftekhim and Linde Gas Rus signed agreements on implementation in 2021-2022. a project for the utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) generated in the technological process of the SIBUR enterprise in Dzerzhinsk. SIBUR -Neftekhim will build an infrastructure for the transportation to the Linde Gas Rus site of crude CO2 obtained as a by-product in the process of ethylene oxide synthesis. In turn, Linde Gas Rus will build a unit to bring the quality of this gas to the level of a commercial product, applicable, among other things, in the food industry, and will sell it to end consumers.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,638,370 tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up by 10% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 989,570 tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up by 30% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas shipments of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2020 sales of USD27 billion (EUR24 billion). The company serves a variety of end markets including chemicals & refining, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing and primary metals. Linde's industrial gases are used in countless applications, from life-saving oxygen for hospitals to high-purity & specialty gases for electronics manufacturing, hydrogen for clean fuels and much more. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions.
MRC

Pregis begins production at new South Carolina blown film plant

Pregis begins production at new South Carolina blown film plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Blown film manufacturer Pregis has started production as its new USD80 million extrusion facility in Anderson, S.C. with a ribbon cutting attended by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and industry partners, said Canpasltics.

“We congratulate Pregis on this USD80 million investment that will create 120 new jobs within the Anderson County community. We wish them great success in the Palmetto State and look forward to seeing them grow and prosper for a long time,” said Governor McMaster.

The 168,000-square-foot facility features multiple newly-installed lines, producing the latest engineered films. The films are used downstream to manufacture performance-oriented, flexible packaging solutions for food, CPG, healthcare/medical and industrial applications. The facility will also feature a film laboratory to develop and test materials.

Construction on the new plant was first announced in July 2021. "We believe that this new facility is the most technologically-advanced extrusion facility in North America," said Kevin Baudhuin, Pregis’ president and chief CEO. “The facility has been staffed with technology and market leaders who are focused on developing extruded films that have been engineered to meet market-driven performance requirements."

In keeping with Pregis’ previously announced 2K30 environmental goals, the Anderson facility features the latest in energy-efficiency in manufacturing and other plant functions. Pregis’ objective is to run its businesses in the most sustainable manner possible, so that it improves its carbon footprint, reduces environmental impact, while making significant, positive contributions to people and society.

As it was written earlier, protective packaging maker Pregis LLC is making a USD80 million investment in a new, state-of-the-art blown film extrusion facility in Anderson, S.C.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.

Pregis is headquartered in Deerfield, Ill.
MRC