Borealis markets recycled-content line

Borealis AG, an Austrian-based chemicals firm, says it is strengthening its EverMinds circular product line by offering Borvida, which it calls “a range of sustainable base chemicals.”

The product line will initially be based on what Borealis calls non-food waste biomass, and chemically recycled plastic scrap. In the future it may also draw from atmospheric carbon capture materials.

The Borvida portfolio will offer base chemicals or cracker products (such as ethylene, propylene, butene and phenol) with International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus-certified sustainable content from Borealis sites in Finland, Sweden and Belgium.

“We are committed to helping to solve the climate crisis through offering credible and sustainable solutions,” says Thomas Van De Velde, a Borealis senior vice president “With the Borvida portfolio, we’re enabling our customers to respond to the growing market demand for sustainably-produced base chemicals without compromising on quality or efficiency. With launching our Borvida portfolio, we are continuously striving towards reinventing essentials for sustainable living.” 

The portfolio will initially consist of Borvida B, made from nonfood waste biomass, and Borvida C, from chemically recycled waste. In the future, the range may include Borvida A, sourced from atmospheric carbon capture.

The company labels Borvida as complementary and as a building block to Bornewables, a portfolio of polyolefins based on renewably-sourced second generation feedstocks, and Borcycle, which offers circular polyolefins produced from mechanically and chemically recycled plastic scrap.

The basis of the Borvida portfolio is mass balance, a chain of custody model designed to enable sustainable content to be tracked, traced and verified through the entire value chain.

The company says Borvida can be used for a several different polymer and chemical applications, such as in the production of polyolefins (PO), polycarbonates, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), super absorbent polymer (SAP) and other chemicals that are used for various end applications including coatings, plasticizers, adhesives, automotive, electronics, lubricants, detergents, appliances and sports equipment.

Borealis lists Finland-based Neste Oyj and German-based Covestro as strategic partners in the effort. Introduced on a smaller scale in early 2020, Covestro was an early renewable base chemicals customer. “The use of alternative sustainable raw materials is one important pillar of our strategic ambition to become fully circular,” says Frank Dörner of Covestro. “The new product line is a good example for joint solutions, another strategic pillar, in order to establish new and reliable supply chains creating benefits for our customers.”

Jeroen Verhoeven of Neste Renewable Polymers and Chemicals says, “Circularity is the key to more sustainable polymers and chemicals. The strategic cooperation for more circular solutions between Borealis and Neste has been a success story in the past already. Now we are looking forward to adding another chapter to the book and supporting the industry with this new portfolio of more sustainable base chemicals.”