Swedish speciality chemicals producer Perstorp (Perstorp; www.perstorp.com) said it plans to replace “all fossil versions” of its base polyols made at the company’s headquarters plant with grades containing partly renewable or recycled materials starting in 2023.

The move affects pentaerythritol (penta), neopentyl glycol (NPG), and trimethylolpropane (TMP) made in Perstorp, where the company said it will expand current production of its Pro-Environment grades. The first material from the line, the penta brand Voxtar, was introduced in 2010, with the NPB material Evyron and the TMP grade Neeture following in 2017 as part of the company’s strategy to become “finite material neutral” (see Plasteurope.com of 27.11.2017).

The materials are said to be certified with ISCC Plus, identical to fossil-based versions, and thus serve as drop-in replacements.

“Phasing out the fossil base polyols produced at the site in Perstorp is a bold move, but we are convinced that this is the only way forward for us, as an industry, to align with the Paris Agreement and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” says Jan Secher, CEO of Perstorp Group. “As an upstream company in the chemical industry we can, and should, make a positive impact across multiple value-chains by offering products with a reduced carbon footprint.”

Related: SK Chemicals starts production for bio-based polyols

The company said it also makes polyols at other sites. For example, along with Sweden, Perstorp also operates TMP production facilities in China, Italy, and the US.

Perstorp announced in May that it is being acquired by Petronas Chemicals Group (PCG), the petrochemicals arm of oil and gas company Petronas (Kuala Lumpur; www.petronas.com), which is owned by the Malaysian government (see Plasteurope.com of 18.05.2022).