SABIC launches recycled PC-the industry's first PC product based on advanced recycling technology

On August 5, SABIC, a global diversified chemical company, announced the first in the industry to launch certified recycled polycarbonate (PC) resins and blends. This innovative product uses upgraded post-consumer mixed waste plastics as raw materials to produce polycarbonate products. Based on advanced recycling technology, the recycling polycarbonate solution further confirms SABIC's commitment: to continue to develop more environmentally friendly products to promote the development of plastic recycling economy.

According to SABIC's internal LCA product life cycle assessment research, compared with petroleum-based similar products commonly found in the market, certified recyclable polycarbonate products are expected to reduce their carbon footprint by about 23%.

"We are very proud to be able to develop this new solution to further promote the development of the plastic circular economy. By helping customers increase the content of post-consumer mixed waste plastics in their products, this solution can help customers achieve their sustainable development Goal and create higher product value.” said Abdullah S. Al-Otaibi, general manager of SABIC ETP and market solutions. "SABIC has been committed to broadening its sustainable product portfolio, especially in the field of thermoplastic engineering plastics. The innovative solutions in our polycarbonate product portfolio help customers to increase the content of recycled plastics and reduce their carbon dioxide footprint. Growing demand.” Al-Otaibi added.

As part of the SABIC TRUCIRCLE™ recycling solution product portfolio, the production of certified recycled polycarbonate is based on an advanced recycling technology that upgrades mixed post-consumer waste plastics that should be incinerated or landfilled.

With the help of the high-temperature pyrolysis process, the post-consumer mixed plastic that is difficult to be processed by traditional recycling methods is decomposed into a liquid called "pyrolysis oil", and then the pyrolysis oil is used as a raw material to produce high-performance and certified "recycling basic raw materials" ——The polycarbonate mentioned here. The high-performance plastics produced in this way have the same properties as virgin plastics.

Polycarbonate-specifically LEXAN™ resin in this case-is an important part of SABIC's engineering thermoplastics product portfolio, which also includes polycarbonate blends such as CYCOLOY™ and XENOY™ resins. For customers from the electrical and electronic, automotive, health and medical, urban construction and consumer goods industries, they can apply this certified recycled polycarbonate according to the same process conditions as traditional polycarbonate products on the market. 

This polycarbonate has been certified by a third-party independent organization under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) program using a standardized mass balance method. This method is based on a series of pre-set highly transparent guidelines to ensure the content of recycled materials in the material. In addition, the widely recognized ISCC PLUS certification can also provide traceability of SABIC's entire supply chain from raw materials to final products, and requires a complete chain of custody based on a quality balance system.

SABIC's TRUCIRCLE solution product portfolio was officially launched in 2019. It is an important milestone in the journey of achieving a closed loop and creating a plastic circular economy, and strives to provide manufacturers with more sustainable materials. The TRUCIRCLE product portfolio covers recyclability design, physical recycling products, certified recycled products produced from recycled post-consumer plastics as raw materials, certified renewable products based on bio-based raw materials, and conversion of recycled plastics into high-quality application products A closed-loop plan to prevent valuable post-consumer plastics from becoming waste.