Saudi petrochemicals and plastics giant Sabic (Riyadh; www.sabic.com) has disclosed that it has been working with Austria’s Greiner Packaging (Kremsmunster; www.greiner-gpi.com) and UK-based consumer-goods group Unilever (London; www.unilever.co.uk) to develop a circular grade of polypropylene for the “Knorr” brand of bouillon containers.

The new packaging is made from Sabic’s PP “Flowpact FPC45”, which is said to be free of phthalates and compliant with various European food contact regulations. Sabic noted that the material is a drop-in alternative to fossil-based plastic and offers very good flowability for easy processing on standard injection moulding equipment, as well as robust performance for high stacking ability. Greiner Packaging produces the containers with lids moulded in the same material. The Flowpact FPC45 PP is certified under the “Plus” scheme of ISCC (Cologne / Germany; www.iscc-system.org).

Sergi Monros, Sabic’s vice-president of performance polymers and industry solutions, said Unilever’s “Knorr” container is an excellent example of the company’s strategy to drive the transition of the plastics industry to a circular economy. “Partnerships with major players across the value chain help address the technical and commercial challenges along this path and meet the increasing demands of end-users and consumers for environmentally conscious packaging with less waste and less resource depletion.”

Jens Krause, sales director at Greiner Packaging’s facility in Diepoldsau / Switzerland, added that as well as focusing on certified recycled PP, the company is also working on its first projects and tests with mechanically recycled polystyrene. Mike Ross, Unilever’s senior packaging manager, said it is now using material produced from 100% certified circular polymer with the aim of expanding it across its portfolio by 2025, by when it intends to have cut virgin plastics use by 50%.