- Memorandum of Understanding signed with Shell for ethylene derived from plastic waste
According to the company’s news release on October 18, 2022, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd, a Singapore registered company, to agree on a supply of ethylene derived from plastic waste. In turn, Prime Polymer Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: FUJIMOTO Kensuke) – part of the Mitsui Chemicals Group – will begin efforts toward the production of chemically recycled polyethylene derived from plastic waste via subsidiary Prime Evolue Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Head Office: Singapore; Managing Director: AOKI Junichiro).
International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, a globally applicable sustainability certification system, has issued Shell’s plastic-waste-derived ethylene ISCC PLUS certification, which finds wide use as a system for certifying biomass-based and recycled raw materials. This ethylene can then be used via the mass balance method – a trusted approach based on ISCC PLUS certification – to enable the creation of polyethylene that is derived from plastic waste while still providing the same properties as more conventional polyethylene. Prime Evolue Singapore will leverage this ethylene to supply plastic-waste-derived circular polyethylene as a new part of the Evolue™ lineup it manufactures and sells.
Evolue™ (linear low-density polyethylene)
Possessing high strength, excellent heat seal properties, easy processing, low gel count, low odor and other such benefits, Evolue™ has come to be used in a wide range of applications, both in Japan and overseas. The material has found particular use in the realm of high-performance packaging materials for food and daily necessities.
Evolue™ offerings for many applications have been recognized by the Mitsui Chemicals Group as Blue Value™ / Rose Value™ products, being products that help improve both the environment and quality of life (QOL) on account of their product life cycle.
*For more information on Blue Value™ and Rose Value™, click here:
https://jp.mitsuichemicals.com/en/sustainability/mci_sustainability/contribution_value/index.htm
Mitsui Chemicals and Prime Polymer are looking to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through a two-pronged approach that combines recycling with a biomass transition for chemicals and plastics. And the recycling of plastic waste is expected to be a crucial strategic element in the push for such a circular economy. Going forward, Mitsui Chemicals and Prime Polymer will continue to make ardent efforts on the fronts of both recycling and biomass.
