In a significant initiative aimed at eliminating over 300 plastic bags per person and cutting CO2 emissions by 30 kg per capita, SABIC has integrated its high-gloss polypropylene resin, which contains approximately 50% 'ocean-bound' plastic, into food-contact vacuum containers produced by the SAES Getters business unit, B!POD.

Source: PackagingEurope

SABIC explains that the plastic collected within 50 km of shorelines undergoes advanced recycling to convert it into plastic feedstock, resulting in a material fully certified under the ISCC PLUS chain of custody.

The resulting SABIC PP 576P resin, part of SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio, is approved for food contact and claims to be free from PFAS and BPA. It is reportedly easy to process, offering low warpage, good impact strength, and a high gloss finish when molded.

We are very pleased about working with SAES Getters to help consumers meet the challenge of improving food preservation with a powerful vacuum system that uses containers moulded in OBP-based SABIC PP. The decision to replace standard virgin PP by our OBP material in the containers also marks a significant step towards greater sustainability, as it supports the transformation of the plastics economy towards circularity.

To create various sizes and colors for the B!POD containers, SABIC’s resin is supplied in its natural state to thermoplastic resin processor Costruzioni Elettromeccaniche Legnaghesi, where specific masterbatches are added.

These reusable containers are fully recyclable within existing polypropylene material streams. They have been completely launched across the European Union, Switzerland, and the UK this year, with plans for expansion into Asian countries by 2025.

In 2022, SABIC collaborated with Scientex to recycle 'ocean-bound' plastic waste into feedstock for flexible plastic packaging used by a Malaysian noodles brand. This packaging was believed to contain a mass balance-accounted 30% ocean-bound plastic while meeting the performance standards of virgin, fossil-based polypropylene alternatives.

This innovation embraces sustainability from the very concept to end use – with an advanced vacuum technology to minimize food waste, with SABIC’s OBP-based material that prevents used plastic from polluting our oceans, and with containers in a range of colours each dedicated to an endangered species, such as orangutan orange or whale grey, it is designed to raise the awareness of consumers. Moreover, our market research has indicated that reusable rigid containers for food preservation can potentially eliminate the consumption of more than 300 non-recyclable plastic bags per person and year, which corresponds to a per capita release of 30 kg of CO2 to the atmosphere.

Since then, SABIC has partnered with Estiko Packaging Solutions and Coldwater Prawns of Norway to design an ISCC PLUS-certified pouch for frozen prawns, with 60% of the multilayer film claiming to incorporate 'ocean-bound' plastic waste. This effort aims to maintain plastics in a circular material stream and prevent them from entering the natural environment.

Retailer Lidl has also begun using recovered 'ocean-bound' plastic waste, or Prevented Ocean Plastic, in a one-liter sparkling water bottle. This initiative is expected to prevent nearly 4 million plastic water bottles from polluting the oceans each year.

In an earlier edition of The Brief published this year, we explored the implementation of 'ocean-bound' plastic in packaging and why various industry stakeholders advocate for its benefits.