Finnish oil producer Neste (Espoo; www.neste.com), which has also built up a position in renewable chemistry, including bioplastics, has entered into a partnership with Swedish home furnishers and consumer goods retailer Ikea (Leiden / The Netherlands; www.ikea.com) to promote the use of Neste’s renewable solutions in plastic home furnishings and accessories.

The companies have not divulged which products initially will be made from renewables, saying only that they will be working with other partners along the supply chain that want to reduce their dependence on virgin fossil -ased materials. Ikea said it will start with its plastics-based home furnishing products, which represent some 40% of the total volume of plastic volumes it consumes.

At the top of the chain, a spokesperson for the retailer told Plasteurope.com, will be the use of renewable hydrocarbon raw materials as feedstock for conventional steam crackers and downstream polymerisation – the Finnish company recently took the decision to invest in production of bio-propane. As yet unidentified polymer producers will provide the polymer materials, which will be “similar or identical” to existing products and thus easy for converters to process. The focus will be on polyolefins. Exact volumes to be processed are not being revealed at this stage, but are described as “significant.”

Touting the benefits of working on the renewable plastics project, Neste and Ikea said their supply chain partners will be able to top the growing market for bio-based products while still utilising their existing production assets. In choosing material input, the emphasis will be on replacing virgin fossil feedstock with renewable or recycled waste and residue-based raw materials. Immediate target is to produce the first proof-of-concept during 2017.

The retailer’s plan for the future is for the plastics used for its home furnishing portfolio to be made of renewable or recycled materials generally. Sustainability manager Lena Pripp-Kovac said the long-term goal is to contribute to a transformational change in the industry, thereby helping to “redefine how materials will be made and how raw materials are used in the near future.” The company rejects the use of bio-based products such as palm oil and derivatives, however.