Mars and Huhtamaki Join SABIC's TRUCIRCLE Initiative

SABIC, a leading global chemical company, has announced that its biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film based on certified circular PP derived from feedstock recycling of used plastics will be introduced in primary pet food packaging by Mars, Incorporated, a global leader in confectionery, food and pet food products. BOPP film structures are produced by Huhtamaki, one of the world's key suppliers of sustainable packaging solutions to customers around the globe. The joint initiative will help the partners implement ambitious targets to reduce volumes of fossil-based plastics and accelerate the transition to a more circular plastic economy. Barry Parkin, Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer at Mars, Incorporated, says: "The dumping of plastic packaging into our lands and oceans is unacceptable, and at Mars we are determined to solve this problem. To do this, we need to reduce packaging we don't need, redesign the remaining packaging to be circular, and invest to help close the loop and scale up recycling systems.

Through our partnership with Huhtamaki and SABIC, we will test and learn, progressively increase recycled plastic content in our packages, and ultimately help operationalize circular packaging systems."

Following a successful pilot phase in 2020, Mars will add certified circular PP polymer from SABIC's TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio to the primary packaging of some popular pet food brands. The certified circular PP food-grade material is produced through low-quality feedstock recycling, using mixed plastics that would otherwise be sent for incineration or landfill. Recycling used plastic back to molecular level through a process called pyrolysis is challenging. This technology produces pyrolysis oil by heating and breaking down used plastic at very high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment. SABIC uses pyrolysis oil from the proprietary advanced recycling technology of UK-based Plastic Energy, which enters the production chain just like fossil-based feedstock, to deliver new materials that can meet strict quality requirements such as specific hygiene standards for food packaging. The resulting PP polymer has been validated and approved under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) scheme using a mass balance approach. SABIC's certified circular products from the TRUCIRCLE portfolio offer a carbon footprint reduction of 2 kg CO2 per kilogram of polymer produced based on returning post-consumer used plastic without incineration.

Charles Héaulmé, CEO and President of Huhtamaki, says: "Our strategic partnership with Mars and SABIC is a great example of how it can result in breakthroughs that deliver significant progress on our journey to design 100 percent of our products by 2030 to be recyclable, compostable or reusable.

We are fully committed to playing our part in building a circular economy across the value chain and partnering with others to do so. Our new flexible BOPP packaging incorporating certified recycled food-grade PP polymer is an important milestone on our journey to ensure that more than 80 percent of the raw materials we use are renewable or recycled," he said. Similarly, as Mars piloted the use of SABIC recycled content in Europe in 2020, the company plans to increase volumes used in 2021 with targets for other brands.

Mars views this as an important step in its sustainability strategy that targets 30 percent recycled content use in its packaging portfolio and a 25 percent reduction in virgin plastics by 2025.

Sergi Monros, Vice President, Performance Polymers and Solutions for Petro-Chemicals at SABIC, adds: "This successful collaboration with Mars and Huhtamaki reflects the partners' willingness and shared pioneering spirit for truly effective change toward a circular plastic economy in the industry. As SABIC, we are committed to developing new solutions that meet our customers' growing demand for more sustainable polymers. But through partnerships of this kind, we can demonstrate the commercial viability and sustainable contribution of advanced recycling processes to help address the challenges our society faces today." With the TRUCIRCLE portfolio, SABIC derives significant value from sources such as animal-free bio-based feedstock and post-consumer recycling that are traditionally overlooked or discarded. ISCC PLUS-approved materials offer drop-in solutions for replacing fossil-based plastics in the packaging industry without compromising product purity and food safety. Moreover, BOPP film using SABIC's certified circular PP polymer offers excellent stiffness and toughness balance alongside barrier and heat-seal properties. It can be used in a wide range of flexible applications, from labels and tapes to packaging pouches and sachets in areas such as confectionery, snacks, bakery products, dried fruits, pasta, fresh food and pet care products. SABIC's TRUCIRCLE product range covers a broad spectrum from design for recyclability services and mechanically recycled materials, through to certified circular products from feedstock recycling of used plastics, and also certified renewable polymers from bio-based feedstock. Third-party ISCC PLUS certification ensures that the company's circular polymer products follow predefined and transparent rules of mass balance accounting. It also provides traceability across the entire supply chain from feedstock to final product. More information can be found at the TRUCIRCLE™ Portfolio and Services web page.