UPM Biochemicals, Selenis to develop sustainable PETG

UPM Biochemicals and Selenis form strategic partnership to develop sustainable PETG.

A new strategic partnership, announced on 1 June by UPM Biochemicals and Selenis, a member of the IMG Group and producer of speciality polyester resins, will focus on the development of a sustainable polyethylene terephthalate glycol - PETG - resin to promote the availability of more sustainable material choices in packaging applications.PETG is a highly transparent, FDA approved material used in applications ranging from heat shrink sleeves, cosmetics and personal care packaging to durable goods, such as bulk dispensers.

The collaboration will see UPM supplying Selenis with biobased mono-ethylene glycol, or Bio-MEG, marketed under the name UPM BioPura, to make a PETG that is partially based on sustainably sourced forest biomass. This biomass is derived from certified hardwood from forests in the regions around Leuna, Germany’ Here, UPM is building the world's first industrial scale biorefinery that will uitilise woody biomass as feedstock to produce next generation biochemicals.

The company is now actively engaging with partners like Selenis to develop more sustainable applications and products based on the biochemicals to be produced at Leuna.

"Selenis pursues a strategy to continuously reduce the CO2 footprint of its products – partnerships like ours are at the heart of a greener, more sustainable chemistry," said Michael Duetsch, vice president Biochemicals at UPM.

The companies share a vision to support the packaging industry in reducing its CO2 footprint and decreasing the industry's dependence on virgin fossil materials. The BioPETG to be developed will be a drop-in replacement for conventionally produced PETG."We will work with Selenis to deliver outstanding solutions for their customers, enabling them to innovate towards sustainable packaging solutions with a significantly reduced greenhouse gas footprint. As the packaging industry is truly striving for a more environmentally friendly future, incorporating bio-based materials like UPM BioPura alongside an ever-increasing share of recycled materials will be an essential part," added Duetsch.

Selenis has developed technology that allows plastic waste to be upcycled into new fully recyclable polymers, thus enabling fossil-fuel feedstocks to be replaced by recycled polyester raw material. Adding biobased or recycled content to their products makes it possible for Selenis Converters - and brand owners - to reduce their carbon footprint with no performance trade-offs. "The packaging and the cosmetics industries are two examples where brand owners prioritise circularity," said Marta Matos Gil, Chief Sustainability Officer at Selenis.The company is also currently investing in solar energy, which will further shrink the carbon emissions generated in the manufacturing process.

"As we take steps towards becoming a regenerative company, developing products that meet sustainable standards in recyclability, eco-resource efficiency and eco-friendly compositions to improve their circularity is vital. Our new partnership with UPM is illustrative of how we are jointly working across the value chain to create tangible solutions that support the advancement of a circular economy and considerably reduce plastic waste," concluded Matos Gil.

Please enter a valid email address.

Please enter your email address.

Please verify captcha.

Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

View the discussion thread.