LyondellBasell and Neste announce commercial-scale production of biobased PP and LDPE

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Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.

LyondellBasell (one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world) and Neste (the world's largest producer of renewable diesel from waste and residues) have jointly announced the first parallel production of biobased polypropylene (PP) and biobased low-density polyethylene (LDPE) at a commercial scale. This pioneering collaboration marks a major milestone in the commercialization of Neste's renewable polymers and chemicals business focusing on developing renewable and circular solutions for forward-looking sustainable brands.
Press release: “LyondellBasell and Neste announce commercial-scale production of bio-based plastic from renewable materials”, 18/6/2019.
Related posts: 
- “A partnership between IKEA and Neste will make bio-polypropylene commercial production possible”, 8/6/2018.
- “Neste starts up the world's first large-scale renewable propane production unit in its Rotterdam biorefinery”, 22/3/2018.
- “Rotterdam Biorefinery”, 19/8/2015.

Figure 1. LyondellBasell and Neste announce commercial-scale production of biobased PP and LDPE (taken from the press release)

The achievement combines Neste's renewable feedstock and LyondellBasell's technical capabilities. The joint project used Neste's renewable hydrocarbons to successfully produce several thousand tons of biobased plastics. LyondellBasell's cracker flexibility allowed it to introduce the new renewable feedstock at its Wesseling site (Germany), which was converted directly into biobased polyethylene and polypropylene. An independent third party tested the polymer products using carbon tracers and confirmed they contained over 30% renewable content.

The biopolymers are approved for the production of food packaging and they are being marketed under Circulen and Circulen Plus, the new family of LyondellBasell circular economy product brands. The company sold some of the renewable materials produced in the trial to multiple customers, one of which is Cofresco (a company of the Melitta Group with brands like Toppits® and Albal®), Europe's leading supplier of branded products in the sector of household film. Cofresco plans to use the Circulen Plus bio-based polyethylene to create sustainable food packaging materials.

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