UPM Biochemicals and Selenis Form Strategic Alliance to Develop Sustainable PETG
Partnership to develop PETG made from renewable, sustainably sourced forest biomass for use in a variety of packaging applications
Finland’s UPM Biochemicals and Portugal-based Selenis, a subsidiary of the IMG Group, have formed a strategic partnership to produce sustainable PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) resin that will accelerate the introduction of renewable, sustainable forest-sourced materials into plastic applications. Highly-transparent and FDA-approved PETG is used in a broad range of applications including cosmetics and personal care packaging, heat shrink sleeves, and durable goods, such as bulk dispenser.
UPM will supply Selenis with its new sustainable bio mono-ethylene glycol (MEG), called UPM BioPura, to make partial BioPETG. UPM BioPura is produced from sustainably sourced, certified hardwood obtained from forests in the regions around Leuna in Germany, where the company is building the world’s first industry scale biorefinery converting woody biomass into next generation biochemicals. The biomass does not compete with food resources and will enable manufacturers a viable option to redefine their net zero targets and significantly reduce their scope 3 emissions by switching effortlessly from fossil-based, to a renewable, drop-in ingredient.
Selenis is a global premium supplier of specialty copolyesters for diverse markets and applications. The company focuses its product innovation on developing products that are fully recyclable in the PET stream and has revolutionary technology that upcycles plastic waste into new polymers, replacing fossil-fuel feedstocks with recycled polyester raw material. According to the company, converters and brand owners can now customize their PETG products to reduce their carbon footprint, by adding bio and recycled content, with no performance trade-offs. Said Selenis’ chief sustainability officer Marta Matos Gill,
“We center our innovation efforts in markets where the pressure for recyclable solutions is higher because the life of the product is shorter, meaning end of life solutions are more critical. The packaging and the cosmetics industries are two examples where brand owners prioritize circularity.”
Said Michael Duetch, UPM’s v.p. for biochemicals, “We will work with Selenis to deliver outstanding solutions for their customers, enabling them to innovate towards sustainable packaging solutions with a significantly reduced greenhouse gas footprint. As the packaging industry is truly striving for a more environmentally friendly future, incorporating biobased materials like UPM BioPura alongside an ever-increasing share of recycled materials will be an essential part.”
Related Content
-
NPE2024 Wrap-Up: Sustainability Dominates Show Floor News
Across all process types, sustainability was a big theme at NPE2024. But there was plenty to see in automation and artificial intelligence as well.
-
How to Optimize Color Evaluation of Recycled Plastics
The right color measurement instrument and good working methods will minimize variability in color evaluation of PCR.
-
Advanced Recycling: Beyond Pyrolysis
Consumer-product brand owners increasingly see advanced chemical recycling as a necessary complement to mechanical recycling if they are to meet ambitious goals for a circular economy in the next decade. Dozens of technology providers are developing new technologies to overcome the limitations of existing pyrolysis methods and to commercialize various alternative approaches to chemical recycling of plastics.