- Solvay accelerates carbon footprint reduction of Udel® PSU & Radel® PPSU at Marietta, Ohio with certified circular feedstock
According to the company’s website press release on April 17, 2023, Solvay, a global market leader in specialty materials, has successfully earned independent third-party mass balance (MB)1 chain of custody accreditation under the widely recognized International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC-PLUS) scheme for its Marietta, Ohio (USA) site, producing polysulfone (PSU) and polyphenylsulfone (PPSU). The products – Udel® PSU ReCycle MB and Radel® PPSU ReCycle MB – are the first ISCC-PLUS mass balance compliant sulfone materials in the market and commercially available, world-wide.
“This is a major achievement as we strive to accelerate the transition of our industry towards a more circular economy through the substitution of fossil resources with sustainably and responsibly sourced alternatives,” says Dr. Bianca Shemper, Sustainable Sourcing Manager for Solvay’s Materials global business unit. “While it aligns with the Solvay One Planet roadmap to mitigate the environmental impact of our operations and reduce our Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions2, it also provides a reliable way for our customers to contribute to a circular economy, and meet demanding sustainability targets and decarbonization goals by minimizing their own Scope 3 balance."
Solvay’s mass balance certified sulfone portfolio is based on monomers produced at the company’s Augusta, Georgia (USA) site, which received ISCC PLUS accreditation in 2022. The global availability of certified circular sulfone polymers will be supported by a major investment program at Marietta, significantly expanding Solvay’s overall capacity alone for PSU by 25% until 2024.
To manufacture the new portfolio of certified products, Solvay measures, tracks, and allocates the quantities of fossil-derived resources replaced with certified circular feedstocks using the Mass Balance approach. This translates into a potential carbon footprint reduction of the certified products compared to traditional fossil-based grades.3
Due to their biological inertness, Solvay’s Radel® PPSU compounds are widely used in medical, food service and plumbing applications, often replacing metals to save weight and eliminate corrosion. Udel® PSU resins are particularly characterized by low levels of extractables and solubles, which has made them a preferred material choice in water treatment, healthcare and bio-processing, including components for membrane filtration and renal dialysis.
“The commercialization of our mass balanced sulfone grades is just another step as we continue to pioneer and innovate the high-performance materials market with responsible sourcing and production,” adds Claire Guerrero, Global Marketing Manager, Sustainability. “Additional certified circular polymers to be introduced soon will include grades of Ryton® polyphenylene sulfide and Amodel® polyphthalamide.”
Radel®, and Udel®, Amodel® and Ryton® are registered trademarks of Solvay.
1 Made with renewable and/or recycled materials by using the Mass Balance (MB) accounting approach. Mass balance concept according to the ISCC PLUSprinciples has become a globally acknowledged industry standard that provides a defined set of rules for tracking and tracing the sustainability share of circular and renewable feedstock in materials and end products. As a result, users of certified materials can claim a reduced carbon footprint for their formulations based on Solvay’s life cycle assessment calculation, and brand owners can document the enhanced sustainability toward consumers.
2 Within the framework of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), Scope 1 refers to direct emissions from in-house production processes, Scope 2 to indirect emissions from purchased energy, and Scope 3 to all other indirect emissions from upstream and downstream sources, such as material supplies, packaging and transportation.
3 Carbon footprint assessments of products are performed through LCA at Solvay, following standards in place.
Contact
Enrico Zanini
Marketing Communications Manager - Consumer Goods & Healthcare
Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 22,000 employees in 61 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet roadmap crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering a better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €13.4 billion in 2022. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (SOLB). Learn more at www.solvay.com.
