SABIC showcases circular plastics innovations at NPE2024, Florida

SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, is highlighting at NPE2024 (Booth #S19005; May 6-10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida) a wide range of solutions that demonstrate the value of plastics for a more sustainable future. Under the theme “Collaborating to Create the Future,” the company is presenting innovative solutions that are available today and others that are on their way to broader adoption. This includes examples of the company’s work with manufacturers and others across the value chain on circular plastic solutions available under its TRUCIRCLE program and new approaches with plastics under its BLUEHERO initiative that can help in the shift to electrification.

“Since the last NPE in 2018, SABIC has taken giant strides forward in creating pathways for plastics to make valued contributions toward resolving critical global challenges and driving circularity,” Sami Al-Osaimi, executive vice president, Polymers, SABIC, said. “The progress that we have made is on display in our booth and it would not have been possible without the ingenuity of our people and teams and the focus we have had on collaborating with value chain partners who share our passion for creating a brighter future. We are so thrilled to be with everyone in Orlando and use this time to invite more purpose-driven, like-minded innovators to join forces with us to drive meaningful change and transformation.”

Examples of SABIC’s developments in plastics and its collaborations are evident across spaces in the booth covering the spectrum of the following industries: advanced packaging, automotive/transportation, building and construction, consumer goods, electrical and electronics, and hygiene and healthcare. Within each of those areas, visitors can see end-use applications produced with polymers from the company’s TRUCIRCLE and portfolio of solutions – certified circular (1), renewable and mechanically recycled content and closed-loop solutions.

SABIC’s support of the mission to enable electrification is on display in two areas: a space within the Transportation section of the booth showcasing the company’s BLUEHERO initiative and an area for visitors to experience racecar simulators that help highlight SABIC’s role as Principal and Innovation Partner to the Formula E electric racing series.

The topic of sustainability is woven throughout SABIC’s booth, emphasizes SABIC’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2050, including its goal of a 20% reduction in absolute greenhouse emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2030. Outside of its booth, SABIC is participating in NPE’s new Sustainability Hub. Open to all registered attendees, this exhibit area shows the many steps the plastics industry is taking toward enhancing its sustainable footprint. SABIC will be part of the Materials section, providing an additional touch point for visitors to learn more about its offering of circular products and services.

SABIC’s primary booth space with its diversity of exhibited solutions speaks to the company’s broad plastics portfolio, from its highly engineered thermoplastics to its polyolefin-based materials, which includes polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) – and with the latter including grades from the company’s PE plant in San Patricio County, Texas, which began operating in early 2022 as part of Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, a joint venture of ExxonMobil and SABIC.

Notable highlights in SABIC’s booth, include:

1. Advanced packaging: Various solutions developed in collaboration with manufacturers. This includes: frozen seafood packaging that uses certified circular SABIC® PE resin, made with ocean-bound plastic (OBP) feedstock; and the winner of a Gold-level 2023 Edison Award in the Green Remediation category.
2. Automotive / Transportation: The Hyundai IONIQ 6 electric sedan, which features LEXAN resin used in the front and rear LED lighting and flame retardant PP compound in key battery module components. The latter material, developed under SABIC’s BLUEHERO initiative, enables compliance with relevant electric vehicle (EV) fire safety regulations. Improved flow properties of the material help double manufacturing productivity, while the reduced molding temperatures required support energy use and emission improvements.
3. Building & Construction: In addition to several examples of pipe made from high-density PE and PP well suited for transporting oil, natural gas and water, visitors can learn about SABIC’s new SABIC® BiAx pipe technology. This solution offers up to 30% in material savings over incumbent polyolefin pipes and higher resistance to slow-crack growth, which facilitates cost-efficient trenchless installation across geographic landscapes.
4. Consumer Goods: Solutions with certified feedstock content from advanced recycling of post-consumer plastics or with certified renewable feedstock content, which are compliant with food or cosmetic industry safety standards. This includes Mattel’s new MEGA and Matchbox toy products using certified renewable PP polymers, in which MEGA BLOKS Green Town is the first-ever toy line available at mass retail to be certified carbon neutral.
5. Electrical & Electronics: The housing of the Charge Amps Dawn EV charger contains in the range of up to 50 percent certified renewable LEXAN polycarbonate resin from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio, supporting the EV charger provider’s commitment to develop the circular bio-economy and help mitigate climate change issues. SABIC is also showing a full-scale demo model of an outdoor EV charger post with PP and engineering thermoplastic solutions well suited for the exterior housing, frame and internal components.
6. Hygiene & Healthcare: Among other solutions, SABIC materials that can help address the growing need for self-management of chronic diseases such as diabetes. This includes new medical-grade VALOX HX325HP resin, developed for potential use in high-precision parts used in insulin delivery pens, insulin pumps, auto-injectors and continuous glucose monitors. Also, visitors can see a sample prototype application made with SABIC’s Edison Award winning LNP ELCRES CRX copolymer, which has the exceptional chemical resistance capabilities needed to enhance the durability of medical devices and equipment housings.
7. Specialties: This space of SABIC’s booth is dedicated to its portfolio of high-performance specialty materials. Among the solutions featured is the Eos Z3 battery module from Eos Energy Enterprises, a leading provider of sustainable zinc-based energy storage systems. This specific module weighs up to 70% less than previous product generations and allows streamlined manufacturing, while achieving lower cost and higher performance. For this application, Eos Energy utilizes SABIC’s 2024 Edison Award winning LNP STAT-KON high electrically conductive compounds to replace traditional titanium in energy storage batteries. In addition to energy storage, visitors can see sample solutions with specialty materials in automotive, including EV batteries, healthcare and infrastructure.
8. Application Development: A display area educating visitors on the expertise that SABIC can provide to support customer product innovation in a range of ways along the entire application development cycle – from new materials development and predictive design and engineering to design for sustainability, prototyping, testing, validation and more.

Note: The content of this press release has not been edited by Fibre2Fashion staff.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)