Friedrichshafen, Germany — Sustainability was in focus for materials giant LyondellBasell at Fakuma 2024.
"Our customers are looking for circularity, and our goal is to help them achieve that," Yaxuan Li, marketing specialist, said Oct. 16. "We want to transform plastic waste into high-quality feedstock."
She added that as customers increase their use of recycled content, it's important for LYB to provide "materials that can guarantee the quality of the part."
LYB — based in Houston and Rotterdam, Netherlands — supports its customers' sustainability goals through the LYB Circulen Portfolio, a dedicated range of recycled and renewable-based polymers. Markets in the spotlight for LYB at Fakuma include automotive, packaging, household appliances, and sports and leisure.
Here are some materials LYB highlighted at Fakuma 2024:
• Hostacom, a foaming material used to enhance the rheology of the polypropylene matrix. This advanced PP compound represents a significant leap forward in producing interior door panels for automotive.
• Circulen Recover PP compounds with 20 percent recycled PP from mechanically recycled post-industrial waste. The material features a mold-in-color special effect with particles that emphasize the recycled content, officials said, giving auto parts "a unique and appealing look."
• Engineered polymers for electric vehicles. Officials said the EV market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by escalating consumer demand for low-emission transportation solutions. A critical element of EV design is the charge port assembly, which must adhere to stringent standards for strength, stiffness, weatherability and aesthetics.
In EV battery systems, officials said platforms are now centered around the battery, which not only powers the vehicle but also serves as a crucial structural component. LYB offers resins, compounds and thermoset composites for EV battery systems. These materials can enhance performance of battery enclosures, battery modules and thermal management and electrical systems.
• In aesthetic materials, officials said Polybatch Effects Frost "transforms recycled PET packaging with a stunning matte frost effect" while maintaining recyclability through NIR sorting compatibility. They added the materials can be used in existing ISBM processes without requiring tool changes.
LYB has made other moves related to sustainability this year. In September, the firm invested in a closed-loop recycling center in Germany focused on auto and appliance parts. The investment will add new sorting and recycling technology to an existing recycling hub in Lich, near Frankfurt.
In the second quarter of 2024, LYB posted gains in both sales and profit. The firm saw first-quarter sales grow almost 3 percent to almost $10.6 billion vs. the same quarter in 2023. Second-quarter profit jumped more than 29 percent to $924 million in the same comparison.
LYB is a major supplier of polyethylene and polypropylene resins, as well as North America's largest compounder. It posted sales of just over $41 billion in 2023.