JAPAN: Itochu, Borealis and Borouge to jointly study uptake of renewable PP in Japanese market

Itochu, Borealis and Borouge announced their intent to jointly evaluate how to enable uptake of renewable polypropylene (PP) in Japan.

"The developments of climate change are attracting attention in Japan and overseas, and countermeasures are urgently required," the partners noted. "Under these circumstances, Japan has formulated a basic plan to introduce approximately 2-million tons of renewable plastic products by 2030." This past March, Borealis began producing certified renewable PP at its facilities in Kallo and Beringen, Belgium, using Neste's renewable propane as feedstock.

Itochu will move ahead with an expansion of the global renewable plastics business, particularly in Japan and in Asia. It plans to commercially launch Japan's "first" food containers, packaging materials and other products made of renewable PP by the end of 2020. "Itochu will actively use its group networks in Japan and overseas to create a new business model in the domain of renewable plastics and to accelerate actions towards achieving a society for sustainable global development," the parties noted.

Source: Weekly “PetroChemical News”, Durham, NC, USA; 5 Oct 2020
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)