BASF will expand its global alkyl polyglucosides (APG®s) production capacity with two expansions at its sites in Bangpakong, Thailand, and Cincinnati, Ohio. By expanding in two regions in parallel, BASF, the global market leader for APGs, can strengthen its position and serve customers even faster and more flexible from the regional supply points, while at the same time reducing cross-regional volume flows. The additional capacities are expected to come on stream in 2025.
Rio Tinto has successfully completed the full transition of its heavy machinery from fossil diesel to renewable diesel at its Boron, California operation, making it the first open pit mine in the world to achieve this milestone. The change to renewable diesel brings an anticipated CO2 equivalent reduction of up to 45,000 tonnes per year, comparable to eliminating the annual emissions of approximately 9,600 cars.
Finnish beauty brand LUMENE is the first to launch a biobased packaging application with both the jar and label made with UPM’s innovative wood-based material, further processed by SABIC. LUMENE’s new jar and the self-adhesive label originate from renewable UPM BioVerno™ naphtha, produced by UPM in Finland. The naphtha is processed into certified renewable polypropylene by SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, and then converted both into commonly recyclable cosmetics containers and product labels printed on UPM Raflatac Forest Film label material.
Stora Enso has successfully issued two new EUR 500 million green bonds under its EMTN (Euro Medium Term Note) programme. The bonds have 3 and 6.25 year maturities and pay a fixed coupon of 4.00% and 4.25% respectively. The bonds are issued under Stora Enso’s new combined Green and Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework launched in May 2023. The issue price for the 3 year bond was 99.928 equivalent to a yield of 4.026% and Euro Mid-Swaps +65 basis points and for the 6.25 year bond 99.64 equivalent to a yield of 4.32% and Euro Mid-Swaps +120 basis points.
UPM Biochemicals and URSA, one of the leading producers of glass wool and mineral wool in Europe, joined forces to develop more environmentally friendly building insulation that will help to reduce energy consumption and lower CO2 emissions. URSA will produce sustainable glass wool made from an innovative, binder based on UPM BioPiva™ lignin. It will be one of the most natural insulation material available on the market.
LanzaTech Global, Illinois-headquartered innovative carbon capture and transformation (“CCT”) company that converts waste carbon into materials, and Plastipak Packaging, a global leader in the design, manufacture, and recycling of plastic containers, have successfully produced PPKNatura, the world’s first polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin made from captured carbon emissions. The resin is suitable for food, personal care, and pharmaceutical packaging, as well as other non-packaging applications.
“One of the great challenges is to use fewer resources by regenerating territories and taking care of biodiversity and soil health. Diversifying bio-based value chain is then a crucial point to meet the challenge of raw material shortages.” To say it – in this interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Roberto Marangon, Senior Application Development Manager at Novamont, the Italian company which is one of the leading players in the world bioplastics’ market. With him we talk about innovation in the bioplastics sector and the next steps of the company headquartered in Novara.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
COMET, the manufacturer of Arrabina® prebiotic dietary fiber, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its new production facility in Kalundborg, Denmark. The first-of-its-kind facility uses the company’s patented upcycling process to produce high-purity arabinoxylan, a highly sought-after dietary fiber. It will supply over 4 million kilograms annually of COMET’s Arrabina® line of proprietary arabinoxylan dietary fiber for food, beverage, and supplement customers.
Working in partnership with Fiorini Packaging, the specialist manufacturer of industrial paper sacks, UPM Specialty Papers has co-created a sustainable, fibre-based sack suitable for pet food applications of up to 20 kg. Already available to order from Fiorini, a sample of the new sack was showcased on the UPM Specialty Papers stand at Interpack 2023.
Arkema, which had already strengthened its climate plan in July 2022, is setting new, even more ambitious targets by 2030 across its whole value chain, approved by the organization Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a partnership between CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), United Nations Global Compact, WRI (World Resources Institute), and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). The Group now aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 48.5% for Scopes 1+2 and by 54% for Scope 3 by 2030 versus 2019.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 