In response to rising demand for sustainable materials, Saudi petrochemicals giant Sabic (Riyadh; www.sabic.com) has launched its first portfolio of certified renewable polyolefins, made from waste fats and oils. The resultant PE and PP will initially be produced at the group’s plants in Geleen / The Netherlands. The grades have been certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC, Cologne / Germany; www.iscc-system.org) organisation, and were developed in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The materials can be converted on existing equipment. Commenting on the launch, Sabic’s LL-LDPE business leader Mark Vester said, “We have optimised our technology to allow the production of renewable PP and PE using renewable feedstocks, which are made from waste fats and oils and are not in direct competition with the food chain, with equal performance to those produced with fossil fuels.”