Certified circular products: a TRUCIRCLE™ solution

Virgin resins and chemicals from difficult to recycle used plastics produced through feedstock recycling 

SABIC is committed to working towards establishing a circular economy for plastics. It was one of the first petrochemical companies to scale up processes to recycle used mixed plastic back into the original polymer for commercial application. 

SABIC launched its certified circular solutions back in 2019, and since then has worked with a variety of upstream and downstream partners to commercialize products based on advanced recycling of used plastics in packaging applications and beyond. SABIC’s certified circular products are part of a set of solutions called TRUCIRCLE™. 

SABIC’s virgin polymers from mixed plastic waste

SABIC’s certified circular polymers are produced using advanced recycling. This process takes difficult-to-recycle used plastic back to the molecular level through a process called pyrolysis. This technology breaks down used plastic by heating it at a very high temperature in an oxygen-free environment, producing pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil then needs to be refined and upgraded for use as feedstock. This process ultimately produces polymers that have identical properties to virgin-based polymers and allows plastics to be recycled over and over again, with no loss of properties or characteristics. 

SABIC is working with a range of partners to considerably increase its supply of certified circular polymers.  

Construction is in the final stages of its first commercial plant for advanced chemical recycling at the Geleen production site in the Netherlands, which is a joint venture with Plastic Energy. The project relies on value chain collaborations and innovations on an unprecedented scale and will enable SABIC to significantly upscale the production of certified circular polymers derived from used plastics.  

In 2022, SABIC announced a new solution to use ocean bound plastic as an alternative feedstock in advanced recycling processes. In this way, used plastic that could potentially end up in rivers and oceans is recovered and can be brought back into a circular material stream to be converted into high quality applications such as food packaging. 

In January 2023, SABIC showcased its commitment by announcing its ambition to process one million metric tons (1000kt) of TRUCIRCLE™ solutions annually by 2030. As a crucial step towards achieving this target, SABIC will globally expand the volumes of advanced and mechanical recycling, along with bio-based materials. 

SABIC’s certified circular products from mixed plastic waste SABIC

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Read SABIC news:

• March 2023 : SABIC, estiko packaging solutions and coldwater prawns of norway introduce frozen foods packaging with ocean bound plastic content 
• April 2023: SABIC signs license access agreement with bapteec ltd for shcp® pyrolysis technology 
• April 2023: Garofalo introduced a new pasta packaging made by using SABIC’s certified circular pp
• January 2023 : SABIC reaffirms commitment to the circular carbon economy with a target of one million metric tons of trucircle™ solutions annually by 2030 
• December 2022: SABIC enables Scientex group in developing world’s first PP flexible food packaging using post consumer recycled (PCR) ocean bound plastic 
• October 2022: Mars, SABIC and landbell partner in closed loop initiative for kind® snack bar packaging based on certified circular pp 
• October 2022: SABIC, drylock and plastik group partner for absorbent hygiene applications with circular certified polymers 
• June 2022: SABIC collaborates with upm raflatac to launch the world’s first label material made from certified circular ocean bound plastic
• March 2022: SABIC, polivouga and nueva pescanova collaborate in seafood packaging solution using certified circular pe from ocean bound plastic 
• March 2022: : SABIC Plastic Energy Advanced Recycling Unit: Celebrating the 1-year construction milestone (youtube video) 
• November 2021: SABIC creates the first certified circular polymers from advanced recycling of recovered ocean-bound plastic

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