Abu Dhabi’s Borouge, Austria’s Borealis and Japan’s Itochu on 25 September announced a study on renewable polypropylene use in the Japanese market. Petchems manufacturers Borouge and Borealis, the latter holding 40% of Borouge, and Japanese conglomerate Itochu say Japan aims to be using 2mn t/y of renewable plastics by 2030. Borealis, owned 64% by Abu Dhabi investment house Mubadala and 36% by Austria’s OMV, began commercial production of renewable PP in March and is looking to expand sales. Renewable PP is made from organic waste and food industry residue streams. Itochu is looking to commercially launch Japan’s first food containers and packaging materials made from renewable PP by the end of 2020.

Borouge is already working with Borealis to commercialize the latter’s Borcycle technology for recycling plastics to produce polyolefin feedstocks. Other Gulf petchem firms are looking to recycle plastics: Saudi Arabia’s Sabic is scaling up a process to produce plastics with a recycled component, while Kuwait’s Equate has developed a process to produce polyethylene terephthalate from 25% recycled PET feedstock (MEES, 14 February). (CONTINUED - 175 WORDS)