Recycling: Sabic/Pashupati Group to target recycling in India; Dow/Procter & Gamble to develop dissolution-based recycling tech for PE

Materials firm Sabic has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian recycler of plastic waste Pashupati Group, with operations in North, West & Southern parts of India. The MoU is targeted at developing local recycling opportunities in India, and expanding Sabic’s global network of qualified recycling partners.

As part of the MoU, both companies will share best practices and exchange knowledge in the various processes of used plastic material, including developing methods and to add value in processing using virgin polyolefin and recycled polyolefin, to both compounded and non-compounded finished products.

Under the execution of the MoU, Pashupati, will bring in its expertise in the mechanical and chemical processing of used plastic, while Sabic will focus on the marketing and sales of recycled products. The agreement also provides for an advanced recycling project to convert used plastic into pyrolysis oil which Sabic will then be able to use in the production of certified circular polymers with the same performance properties as virgin plastics.

This MoU follows Sabic’s 2021 collaboration with Malaysia-based plastic recycling company HHI, to create polymers from recovered ocean bound and ocean plastics. The polymers have since been used to manufacture new products, including the Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse, as well as the Microsoft Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock.

Sanjay Mishra, General Manager, Engineering Thermoplastics & Performance Polymers at Sabic, states: “We are very pleased about collaborating with Pashupati Group. This is a crucial first step in our efforts to support and accelerate the transformation of India’s plastics economy towards circularity. At the same time, it expands our collaboration with experienced local recyclers in Asia as we are continuously sourcing valuable feedstock to meet the growing demand for our Trucircle portfolio of recycled, circular polymers.”

Bankey Goenka, Managing Director at Pashupati Group, adds: “This MOU is an amalgamation of two champions in their own fields: Pashupati Group, a leader in plastic recycling providing quality recyclates (PET & Polyolefin) including recyclates from mountain and ocean bound plastics to the global market with a proven track record over two decades, and Sabic, a market leader driving innovative products and solutions for a circular plastics economy. This is a testament to the commitment of both SABIC and Pashupati Group towards the circular economy and contributing to the conservation of our planet.”

In other news, US materials firm Dow and the Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) have announced a joint development agreement to create a new recycling technology. The intent is for conversion of hard-to-recycle plastic packaging into recycled polyethylene (PE) with near-virgin quality and a low greenhouse gas emissions footprint. P&G HAS developed the dissolution-based technology for the recycling of PP that is being commercialiSed by PureCycle.

To create the new technology, the companies will combine their patented technologies and know-how in the dissolution process. The development program will focus on using dissolution technology to recycle PE and targeting post-household plastic waste (especially rigid, flexible and multi-layer packaging, which are harder to recycle).

The technology aims to deliver high quality post-consumer recycled (PCR) polymer with a lower greenhouse gas emissions footprint than fossil-based PE. P&G anticipates using this PCR polymer in its packaging.

The global partnership between Dow and P&G begins immediately and is expected to run until commercialisation.

In addition to the patented technologies, both Dow and P&G bring decades of expertise in materials science, manufacturing capabilities and large-scale supply chain management. These areas of expertise will be important in the development of this new recycling technology that can be deployed at commercial manufacturing scale.

Both Dow and P&G have bold ambitions to accelerate circularity. Dow has a sustainability target to Transform the Waste and commercialise 3 million tonnes of circular and renewable solutions by 2030, and P&G's vision is to use 100% consumer packaging designed to be recycled or reusable by 2030.

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