As one of the first raw materials producers to understand the importance of more circularity in the plastics industry, Borealis entered the recycling space back in 2016 with the acquisition of German plastics recycler mtm plastics and mtm compact. At the time, the company said this was part of a newly minted strategy to make bolt-on acquisitions in new polymer fields. Since then, the company has steady continued to pursue this ambition – and to advance and expand its circularity activities.
Speaking at PRSE with Mirjam Mayer, Borealis’ Vice President Circular Economy Solutions as of 1 January 2024 and tasked with overlooking and managing Borealis’ entire circular economy solutions (CES) value chain, it was clear that this is a priority area for the company.
Next to mechanical recycling, Borealis has also moved into chemical recycling, as part of OMV’s ReOil project that uses pyrolysis to convert end-of-life plastic waste into pyrolysis oil, which can then be used to produce virgin-like chemically recycled resins. As well, the company holds a majority stake in Belgian recycling company Renasci, who have created a concept called Smart Chain Processing that starts with mechanical recycling and then uses BlueAlp low-energy slow cracking technology to produce pyrolysis oil.
“Right now, our priority at Renasci is the chemical recycling technology,” said Mayer. “Obviously, chemical recycling has to be complementary to mechanical recycling. But the limitations of mechanical recycling in terms of number of cycles and type of materials mean that we need technology that can produce drop-in qualities we need for more sensitive applications.”
Having said that, she noted the company this year had received two letters of non-objection from the FDA concerning the use of specific grades of its Borcycle® M post-consumer recycled plastics (PCR)- Borcycle M PCR high-density polyethylene and polypropylene - in contact sensitive packaging, paving the way for these materials to be used in cosmetic and personal care applications as well as in dry food applications.
“Mechanical recycling has advantages in terms of greenhouse gas footprint, plus the polymer and the lifetime of the molecule is preserved longer. And finally, after multiple iterations, at the end of such a process, it can still then be chemically recycled,” Mayer said. However, clarification from the EU is still needed on the legislative status of how to verify use of recycled plastic from chemical recycling for this to be able to grow into its full potential.
The same holds for the mass-balanced biobased materials Borealis produces. The company is clear about not using first generation feedstocks but solely feedstock derived from waste or residue streams, with mass balance supporting to track, trace and verify the sustainability of those feedstocks throughout the chain. However: “While supply is sufficient, demand for biobased polymers remains restrained for the time being,” said Mayer. “Mainly because of the uneven playing field with mandated biofuels. Right now, the lack of a similar regulation for biobased content targets for chemicals and materials makes it difficult to compete with the biofuels sector..”
She concluded: “I think having that regulatory clarity for the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is very much a welcome sign, and we would, of course, appreciate similar movement for mass balance allocation rules and biobased content. For us, regulatory clarity is really top of mind.”