BP and Sabic team up for circular plastics

BP and Sabic have signed a new agreement to drive a circular economy in the petrochemical sector by teaming up for a new renewable plastics initiative.

Based at the Gelsenkirchen chemical complex in Germany, the agreement will see the two companies hone their relationship to produce circular products that use used mixed plastics as feedstock, thus reducing the amount of fossil resources needed in the petrochemical process.

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BP and Sabic have had a working relationship at the site for decades, which is the starting point for the chemicals value chain in its local area.

Sabic already operates a number of green plastic polymers under its current portfolio which are produced using advanced recycling to convert low quality mixed and used plastic, otherwise destined for incineration or landfill, into pyrolysis oil.

The oil, which acts as an alternative feedstock to traditional fossil materials, will be processed at BP’s refining site and then used by Sabic in its polymer plants to produce certified circular products.

The final product has identical features to virgin-based polymers - the main basis for most plastics, fed directly from the source material, be it crude oil or natural gas - with the primary difference it being recyclable repeatedly.

Following on from successful trials in December 2020, polymer production using the alternative feedstock started at the site early this year.

Sabic hope the use of polymers such as these will minimise or otherwise eliminate plastic waste.

"Advanced recycling allows us to increase the production of more sustainable materials and use our planet’s resources wisely, whilst reducing the use of conventional approaches such as landfill and combustion," said Fahad Al Swailem, the Vice President for PE & Sales at Sabic.

He added: "Advanced recycling has a crucial role to play in the current recycling mix as it can capture value from plastic waste streams that have traditionally been ignored or discarded.

"We continue to increase our collaborations with upstream suppliers and downstream customers, and this new initiative with our long-term partner bp takes us one step further to achieving our vision.”

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This move puts BP closer in line with its 2030 climate goals of achieving up to 30% of its ethylene and propylene production from sustainable, recyclable raw materials.

Wolfgang Stückle, the Vice President of Refining and Specialities Solutions for Europe & Africa at BP, said: “It is a fantastic achievement on the part of the Gelsenkirchen team, after more than a year’s preparation, to set up the new initiative with our partners at SABIC. At the same time, it is what bp’s recently announced Net Zero strategy is all about.”

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