The Danish company Plastix recycles old fishing nets and ropes. The granules produced are used by JSP International, among others, to manufacture expanded polypropylene (EPP).

Expanded Polypropylene from Maritime Plastic Waste

Schaumstoffe und Vorprodukte

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Schaumstoffe

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Standardkunststoffe

Thermoplaste

Polypropylen-Compound

Polypropylen

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

From Fishing Net to Particle Foam

Renouncement is the trend that determines public perception of plastics today. Many consumers prefer products that are better for the environment, which is often equated to using less plastics. It is true, though, that plastics are important materials when it comes to finding answers to the challenges posed by the increase in population, high energy demand as well as growing urbanization and mobility.

Guest Commentary by Dr. Michael Zobel

Verpackungsmaterial

Logistik

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Leichtbau

Kunststoffhandel

Dienstleistungen

Handel

Werkstoff

The Answer to Many Questions

Bio-based plastics can lock away vast quantities of CO2 in durable, recyclable applications and make a real contribution to climate protection. All that is needed for this is the right product design and a functioning circular economy. By focusing more on this approach, the plastics sector has the chance to evolve into a key industry of a green economy.

How Bio-Based Polymers Can Help Sequester CO2 for the Long Term

Kunststoffe, biobasiert

Biokunststoffe

Kunststoffe, bioabbaubar

Kunststofffasern

Verstärkungsstoffe

Into the Future with Biopolymers

For a long time, chemical recycling was considered an unfinished addition to established material processes. In the meantime, however, some technologies are making the leap into large-scale industrial use: an overview of the various processes and providers.

Overview of the Various Processes and Suppliers

Polyurethan

What Is Happening in Chemical Recycling?

The circular economy, electromobility and the continuing corona pandemic are influencing color selection for plastics. Kunststoffe asked colorant manufacturers about the resulting color trends. We also wanted to know what effects the increased use of recyclates is having and the extent to which manufacturers are affected by the present supply bottlenecks.

Trend Report on the Coloration of Plastics

Masterbatches

Additive

Farbstoffe und Pigmente

Streifinger, Florian

Farbkonzentrate (Batches)

Farbstoffe

Farben, flüssig

Colored Mood Enhancers

Henkel significantly expands partnership with social enterprise Plastic Bank. The partners opened their first three plastic waste collection centers in Cairo

Polyethylen

Polyethylenterephthalat

Henkel and Plastic Bank Open First Collection Centers in Egypt

A new chemical recycling unit at Borealis production site in Stenungsund, Sweden, is expected to commence operations in 2024.

More Circular Base Chemicals and Plastic Products

A new process developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP is able to isolate carbon black ash recovered from old tires – allowing both the carbon black and the minerals from the ash to be reused.

Pigmente

Technik Trend

kunststoffe-international.com

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Carbon Black Recycled from Car Tires

Current requirements for product quality and rising demands for sustainable products are dictating ever stricter requirements regarding the quality of recyclates. Further technological developments aimed at material purity and quality are unavoidable.

Expanded Machine Portfolios from Turnkey Solutions to Integrated Systems

Wiederaufbereitung

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Aufbereitungsmaschinen

Circular Economy Is the Buzzword  of the Hour

Industrial companies, associations, and institutions concerned with the topics of circular economy and plastics sustainability will present themselves on the digital platform D-Expo Circular Economy from April 13 – 16, 2021.

Markt & Wirtschaft

kunststoffe.de

Nachhaltigkeit

Regenerieren

Kunststoff-Regenerate

D-Expo Circular Economy - The Digital Trade Fair for Plastics Sustainability

From April 13 – 16, 2021 Hanser launches international virtual trade fair D-Expo Circular Economy for professionals with a focus on sustainability, recycling, eco-design, life-cycle, and more.

Digital Trade Fair for Plastics Sustainability

The non fossil fuel-based portfolio offers same high quality and performance for applications in all industries.

Gehäuse aus Kunststoff

Elektromechanik

Kühlkörper

Polystyrol

Borealis Launches Portfolio of Circular Polyolefins

Lightweight construction, functionality and design are characteristic of material development in all areas of application for PC compounds, composites and films. The range of materials has enormous opportunities when it comes to the mobility of the future, lightweight structural construction with continuous fiber-reinforced composites, 5G technology and medical technology.

Polycarbonate (PC)

Automotive

Elektronik

Technische Kunststoffe

Medizintechnik

Polycarbonat

Medizinprodukte

Present in a Multitude of Trends

LyondellBasell starts commercial production of polymers using raw material derived from plastic waste at its Wesseling site.

Polymers Made from Plastic Waste

Initial testing of the material at the Ineos Styrolution laboratory did not show any measurable differences to native material.

ABS with Recycled Styrene

“Unfortunately, the Only Globally Accepted Ideology Is Money”

Alfred Stern, CEO of Borealis, Talks about the Circular Economy

In this interview with Kunststoffe, Alfred Stern, CEO of Borealis, explains why he considers fixed recycling quotas to be necessary and why voluntary commitments do not work.

Recycled plastics had a difficult time last year, with demand for them falling sharply. As a result, environmental associations and recycling companies are calling on politicians to take measures to promote the circular economy as a result. They are not alone – plastics producers such as Borealis have also joined in. In this interview with Kunststoffe, Alfred Stern, CEO of Borealis, explains why he considers fixed recycling quotas to be necessary and why voluntary commitments do not work.

As a result of the coronavirus crisis and the low price of oil, demand for recycled plastics slumped in 2020. Recycling companies and associated trade associations therefore urgently called on politicians to enact legislative measures to stimulate and stabilize demand. Alfred Stern, CEO of Borealis, also sees these developments as a threat to the circular economy. Kunststoffe spoke with him about the regulations that are necessary and the problems that still exist in plastics recycling.

Kunststoffe: Over the past year, there has been a substantial drop in demand for recycled materials. This is not only due to the coronavirus. Do you see this as a once-off phenomenon or more as a long-term trend?

Alfred Stern: Owing to the coronavirus crisis, many fresh food counters, for example, have been, and still are, closed. Sausages and cheeses were and still are only available in packaged form. There is therefore a growing perception that plastic packaging is not just waste, but that it also has a function, namely to keep food fresh and to aid compliance with hygiene rules. For this reason, demand for plastics has developed very well at our company. For me, this is a sign that we have to take the circular economy much more seriously. The pandemic has shown that the functional role played by plastics is not one that can be easily replaced. Hence the considerable increase in pressure to implement the circular economy and recycle larger quantities of plastics.

Kunststoffe: Nevertheless, demand for recycled materials has decreased.

Stern: Borealis is one of the largest plastics recyclers in Europe. We carry out recycling at three plants, the profitability of which has indeed suffered greatly over the past year. This is because raw material costs for virgin material fell sharply during the crisis. On one hand, virgin material became cheaper to procure but, on the other, the price of collecting, sorting and cleaning remained the same. That is why recycled materials have become less competitive.

Kunststoffe: Do you expect this to continue over the long term?

Stern: That risk certainly exists. It depends on how raw material prices develop. In order to shoulder the massive investments that are necessary to get the circular economy rolling, we need to put a supportive legal and fiscal framework in place whose task is to create conditions that make it attractive for companies to invest in this area.

Kunststoffe: Which measures are necessary?

Stern: Three very simple things come to mind. First, we should not be exporting our plastics waste – the raw materials for the circular economy – out of Europe. Shipping waste to Asia is not helpful. We must put a stop to that. Second, recycling quotas are needed. And third, EPR systems (extended producer responsibility – editor’s note) should be designed in an eco-modulated way, such that recycled products cost less than those made entirely from virgin material.

Kunststoffe: Various models of fixed recycling quotas are in discussion. These could apply, say, to products or to companies. In the latter case, every manufacturer would be given a specific quota to fill. Which model makes more sense?

Stern: The key lies in generating demand for recycled plastics. This demand has to emanate from the market and not from the manufacturers. Consequently, quotas should apply to products. If demand rises and there is insufficient production capacity to cover it, prices will rise. And companies will then automatically invest in greater capacity. If, on the other hand, the producers have to meet quotas, there is a risk that they will offer more of the corresponding goods but will be unable to sell them because there is no demand. That scenario does not constitute good use of market forces.

Kunststoffe: So the main problem in plastics recycling is not enough demand and thus insufficient profitability?

Stern: At present, the prices of recycled materials are to a certain extent linked to the prices of virgin materials. If virgin materials become cheaper, the prices of recycled materials must also decrease so that they can be sold. That is why it is so important to generate demand for recycled material – it will enable this link to be broken. Of course a number of progressive companies are already forcing the issue independently and are willing to pay higher prices for such materials. Some companies, for instance, have set themselves targets to have a certain percentage of recycled materials in their products. But the massive changes needed to transform the industry cannot be achieved by just a few pioneers on their own; broad-based support is called for. We need massive investment. And that will only happen if profitability is assured.

Kunststoffe: So voluntary commitments on their own are not enough?

Stern: In my opinion, there is no evidence anywhere in the world to show that environmental compatibility is increased by voluntary commitments. Neither as regards CO2 emissions nor other issues. The decisive criterion is profitability. Unfortunately, the only globally accepted ideology we have is money.

Kunststoffe: With its New Green Deal, the EU Commission has formulated measures and goals for a more sustainable economic policy in Europe. Are these measures and goals conducive to strengthening the circular economy?

Stern: The Green Deal contains the right visions. It represents an opportunity not just for Europe, but for the whole world. But the specific steps taken next will be crucial. A good example is the planned plastic tax. It is important that consumers, industry and politics work together to apply it in such a way that it genuinely has a steering effect. It could have a strong impact, for example, if implemented via an eco-modulated EPR system. If this is done sensibly, the entire industry will jump on board to optimize the cost structure. However, it needs to be implemented carefully and must take all the consequences into account. We need to avoid creating a “tropical island” within global competition only to find that we are no longer competitive.

Kunststoffe: Plastics converters also frequently criticize the quality of the recycled materials. Is that not a major problem, aside from profitability?

Stern: It’s true that there is huge variation in the quality of recycled materials on offer. However, it is already possible at the present moment to provide guarantees of quality. Standards of quality can be raised through innovations and technologies. But we mustn’t lose sight of the bigger picture. At Borealis we are concerned with “designing for circularity”, which starts off with “designing for reuse”, i. e. applications that are used several times before being disposed of. In addition, the products must be designed for easy recycling. Mono-material solutions can be processed very easily, e. g. by mechanical recycling. This means that it is possible to achieve high quality with low energy consumption. Where waste cannot be recycled mechanically, the next step is to send it to chemical recycling. In this connection, we are collaborating, for example, with our principal owner, OMV. Chemical recycling yields synthetic oil which can be processed in full into new goods of the same quality. In addition, plastics from renewable raw materials such as food waste are also being used. We are already operating all these technologies commercially, albeit only in small quantities.

Kunststoffe: So the desired standard of quality of recycled materials could be achieved if all processes were fully utilized?

Stern: Yes. However, the problem at present lies in obtaining sufficiently large quantities in consistent quality. So, I am appealing once again for framework conditions to be created that offer incentives for investment. This is the only way to achieve the necessary quantities.

Kunststoffe: You have just opened a new recycling plant in Lahnstein, Germany. What is that about?

Stern: We believe the demonstration plant there to be the last word in mechanical recycling plants. We want to use it to show what can be achieved when modern technology and machinery are deployed in a state-of-the-art mechanical recycling plant. This is a joint collaboration between us and the companies Tomra and Zimmermann Recycling, with each partner contributing its know-how. We at Borealis are looking after the commercial side, we know the customers and are familiar with product development and applications. Tomra is known for its collection and sorting technologies, Zimmermann has many years of experience in waste management, including the sorting and recycling of plastics. The plant produces high and low density polyethylene and polypropylene. The materials produced differ from recycled materials currently available on the market in terms of their purity, low odor, high product quality and bright colors. We hope this approach will open up other markets and applications, e. g. in the automotive sector or in caps & closures.

Kunststoffe: What type of waste are you processing there?

Stern: Both rigid and flexible post-consumer. I don’t mean sorted and pre-sorted waste, but rather classic post-consumer household waste.

Kunststoffe: What quantities are being processed?

Stern: It is a demonstration plant. The quantities are large enough for us to conduct qualification tests with customers to show which applications the technology lends itself to.

Kunststoffe: Are you planning to expand the site into a commercial plant with your partners at a future date?

Stern: We did not build the plant without having a vision for the future. But first we are looking at how well it performs and gaging the extent of interest. The point of the demonstration plant is to improve the technology and to gain experience for future large-scale operation.

The interview was conducted by Florian Streifinger and Susanne Schröder, Editors.

Borealis AG  

https://www.borealisgroup.com

Ausgabenartikel

Together with Tomra and Zimmermann Recycling, Borealis has built a demonstration plant in Lahnstein. According to its own information, the most modern plant for mechanical recycling is intended to show what is possible with modern technology and equipment in a state-of-the-art plant for mechanical recycling

16:9

Borealis - Hauptartikel

Alfred Stern has been CEO of Borealis since July 2018 and a board member at the plastics producer since 2012. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he was responsible for the Polyolefins and Innovation & Technology divisions. Stern has been working for Borealis since 2008. Before that, he held various management positions at DuPont, including Research and Development, Sales and Marketing, and Quality and Business Management. He studied Polymer Engineering and Science at the University of Leoben, Austria, and holds a PhD in Material Science.

“Nowhere in the world is environmental compatibility increased through voluntary commitments.”