Saudi chemical manufacturer Sabic signed a memorandum of understanding with Pashupati Group, an India-based mechanical and chemical recycler of PET and polyolefins.
The companies will explore, evaluate, and develop local business opportunities for recycling waste plastics in India, including the potential development of a pyrolysis plant to provide Sabic with feedstock for its circular polymers.
Pashupati operates waste management services under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation for plastics introduced in India in 2016. The company uses its Waste Circularity mobile app to collect plastic waste in challenging terrains, including mountains and coastal areas, in addition to serving urban and rural settings. It collects 12 million PET bottles and 2 million polyolefin bottles a day.
Through the new partnership, Sabic and Pashupati will share best practices and exchange knowledge about plastic recycling processes, including the mixing of virgin and recycled polyolefins in manufacturing new products. Pashupati will contribute its expertise in mechanical and chemical recycling, whilst Sabic will focus on the marketing and sales of recycled products.
“This is a crucial first step in our efforts to support and accelerate the transformation of India’s plastics economy towards circularity,” said Sanjay Mishra, general manager, engineering thermoplastics & performance polymers at Sabic. “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.”
Sabic has committed to producing 1 million tonnes of circular materials by 2030. At the World Economic Forum 2023 Meeting in Davos, it revealed that it is exploring a new world-scale commercial chemical recycling investment. This new plant would potentially have a capacity of around 200 kilotons of per year.
Source: sustainableplastics.com
