From the Sector

• ADNOC and Borealis confirm final investment agreement to build Borouge 4 in Ruwais, United Arab Emirates (UAE), which will produce 1.4 million tons of polyethylene per annum
• Expansion project includes construction of a 1.5 million tonnes ethane cracker, two state-of-the-art Borstar® polyethylene plants and a cross-linked polyethylene plant
• Borouge 4 will meet growing customer demand across the Middle East, Africa and Asia with differentiated polyolefin solutions in energy, infrastructure, and advanced packaging
• New facility will benefit from industry-leading technologies to significantly improve energy efficiency and lower emissions, with carbon capture study underway
• Upon expansion, Borouge will be the world's largest single-site polyolefin complex and will supply feedstock to TA'ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone Body

ADNOC and Borealis AG signed an USD 6.2 billion investment agreement to build the fourth Borouge facility – Borouge 4 – at the polyolefin manufacturing complex in Ruwais, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The world-scale expansion confirms both partners’ commitment to the growth of Borouge and to support chemical production, and advanced manufacturing and industry in Ruwais, a key pillar of Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s technology, innovation and industrial development strategy. Borouge produces crucial industrial raw materials, which are exported to customers globally and used by local companies, boosting local industrial supply chains and enhancing In-Country Value.

Borouge 4 will capitalize on the projected growth in customer demand for polyolefins, driven by their use in manufactured products in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The facility will also enable the next phase of growth at the Ruwais Industrial Complex by supplying feedstock to the TA’ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone.

Borouge 4 will have an industry-leading focus on sustainability leveraging the capabilities of both shareholders. The facility will utilize Borealis’ proprietary Borstar technology, to produce a product portfolio focused on durable applications for energy, infrastructure, advanced packaging, and agriculture sectors. This unique technology, in combination with hexene co-monomer, will enable the production of advanced packaging grades with up to 50% recycled polyethylene content.

Subject to an in-depth study, a Carbon Capture unit that would reduce CO2 emissions by 80% could also be operational in time for Borouge 4’s start-up. The facility is also designed to capitalize on ADNOC’s recent initiatives on clean energy, decarbonizing its power supply through access to Abu Dhabi’s clean power sources. These initiatives are aligned with the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.

The first Borouge facility, producing 450,000 tons of polyethylene per annum was commissioned in 2001. Borouge 2 and Borouge 3 took capacity to 2 million tons and 4.5 million tons of polyethylene and polypropylene per annum in 2010 and 2014 respectively.  Borouge 4 will boost the company’s annual polyolefin production to 6.4 million tons, making Borouge one of the world’s largest single-site polyolefin facilities.

The new Borouge 4 facility will comprise:

• An ethane cracker, with 1.5 million tons ethylene output per annum, which will be the fourth cracker in Borouge’s integrated petrochemical complex in Ruwais
• Two additional Borstar® polyethylene (PE) plants, each with 700 thousand tons per annum capacity, using state-of-the-art Borealis Borstar third generation (3G) technology
• A cross-linked PE (XLPE) plant of 100 thousand tons per annum capacity.
• A hexene-1 unit, which will produce co-monomers for certain grades of polyethylene.

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. announces its newest digital front end (DFE) server solution for digital printing – the EFI™ Fiery® FS500 Pro platform. Fiery FS500 Pro will help print providers meet the challenges of shorter runs, faster turnaround times, less experienced staff, increased security standards and the need to reduce cost. The new Fiery DFE platform brings innovation to an extensive line-up of new digital printers coming for office, commercial, in-plant, packaging, and textile printing.  

The Fiery FS500 Pro platform features five key areas:

• Faster job processing. Print providers will benefit from faster job processing time and up to 40% faster application launch time to produce more jobs per shift.
• Faster turnaround time for short runs. Advanced Fiery features speed up administration and production of print jobs in fast moving print shops.
• More sellable print, less waste. Fiery FS500 Pro has more tools available for detecting potential errors in files, reducing both production time and waste.
• More-accurate brand colors. A new Fiery TrueBrand solution for corporate users makes it easy to ensure accurate printing of brand colors from Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.
• Advanced security. Fiery FS500 Pro provides new features for high security environments, ensuring compliance with customer security requirements and industry standards.

In a move to optimize interactions and simplify customer access to one of the printing industry’s largest portfolios of process-improvement and consumables technologies, Baldwin Technology Company Inc. is excited to announce changes across its print and packaging sales teams for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia, as well as the Americas, effective October 1. After this realignment, customers will benefit from having a single point of contact for all of Baldwin’s product lines.

“Effective October 1, our sales teams in EMEAR and the Americas will be realigned to cover smaller regional geographies, and our regional teams will have access to the full Baldwin portfolio of equipment, consumables and service products, as well as industry product expertise, powered by our new Industry 4.0 AMP IoT (Internet of Things) data-aggregation and process-monitoring software platform,” said Peter Hultberg, Baldwin’s Chief Commercial Officer. “This means our customers will have a single sales point of contact for all products, while simplifying their access to the technical experts throughout our business.”

• Instant access to ecotoxicological and regulatory information and certificates for Archroma specialty chemical products
• Faster decision-making and time-to-market for manufacturers, brands and retailers in the textile, paper, packaging, paint, and construction industries

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, announced the launch of The Safe Edge, an online platform for instant access to product related regulatory & compliance certificates and information.

With continuously growing public awareness around the social, health and ecological impacts of human and business activities, the need for transparency and traceability in supply chains has become essential.

Time to market is equally critical, and manufacturers, brands and retailers need access to reliable information in real time.

The Safe Edge platform has been designed with that in mind: It allows brands, retailers and manufacturers of textile, fashion, packaging, paper, paints, to verify with just a few clicks the regulatory & compliance status of Archroma products, including regulations, ecotoxicological information & certifications, and brand requirements.

The Safe Edge covers standards, regulations and information such as air emission factors, animal origin, halal, kosher, plant origin, food contact, Blue Angel, bluesign®, Cradle-to-Cradle, chemical inventories, Composability EN 13432, conflict minerals, EU Flower/Ecolabel, GOTS, CONEG, ISEGA, Nordic Swan, Oekotex® Standard 100, California Prop 65, REACH, RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substance), Screened Chemistry, SDS, SVHC (Substance of Very High Concern), VOC (US), ZDHC (Zero Discharge Hazardous Chemicals), and brand standards (like Coats A&F MRSL, Decathlon RSL 2020, Jack Wolfskin RSL and The List IV by Inditex.

With the launch of The Safe Edge, Archroma continues to assert its leading role in driving sustainability in its industries, in line with its commitment to the principles of “The Archroma Way to a Sustainable World: safe, efficient, enhanced, it’s our nature”. The “Safe” principle in particular is at the core of the Archroma approach to sustainability, with the deeply rooted goal to protect people and the planet with products that are safe to use, and safe to wear.

The Safe Edge is already accessible for manufacturers, brands and retailers in Europe and Asia, and will be launched in North America in September 2021, and in Latin America by the end of the year.

Avery Dennison, a global leader in innovation, materials science, branding and manufacturing, and Shenzhou International Holdings Ltd., one of the world’s largest vertically-integrated knitwear manufacturers, hosted a grand opening event for the launch of ADX Lab Ningbo, an experience hub co-created by the two innovators, located in Ningbo, China.

Themed “Newness is the Name of Your Game,” the opening event brought together leading global apparel and footwear brands. Offering a bespoke lab experience, an insightful seminar, and a plant tour, Avery Dennison shared the cutting-edge fashion trends for seasons ahead and launched new design concepts and solutions. Industry stakeholders saw how ADX Lab Ningbo empowers global apparel and footwear brands with Avery Dennison’s end-to-end solutions, bringing their innovative ideas to life, telling their brands’ story, and helping them create cutting-edge, diverse products.

ADX, which stands for “Avery Dennison Experience,” offers a future-focused platform for apparel industry stakeholders to see innovative technology, materials and solutions, and explore how these breakthrough technologies can be put into development. At ADX Labs, Avery Dennison engages apparel and footwear brands around the globe, co-creating the next breakthrough solutions. ADX Labs will launch new collections and solutions biannually across digital production techniques, external embellishments, packaging, automation and more. The newly-launched ADX Lab Ningbo is Avery Dennison’s fourth ADX Lab across the globe, joining the innovation and experience hubs in Norway, Italy, and Panyu, China. Avery Dennison will expand its hub in the USA in January next year.

During the ADX Lab Ningbo launch event, Avery Dennison’s revealed its newest portfolio for external embellishments. The collection was inspired by seasonal trends and featured sustainable production techniques, materials and designs. From larger graphics to small details, different materials and technology were juxtaposed and brought to life in novel ways. The results are over 90 bespoke graphic technique combinations – covering heat transfer labels, woven, embroideries and more, spanning performance, lifestyle and team sports.

“Avery Dennison joined forces with Shenzhou International to introduce a broader vision for innovation to our global customers to help apparel and footwear brands stay ahead of industry trends and, ultimately, achieve their business goals,” said Michael Barton, vice president and general manager, global commercial, apparel solutions, Avery Dennison. “We believe that inspiration and innovation should never be limited by geographic location. Therefore, virtual experiences will be available at the ADX Lab Ningbo starting July 30. Our customers can be inspired by this immersive experience from the comfort of their own homes.”

“The partnership between Avery Dennison and Shenzhou International can be traced back to 2005. Over the past 16 years, the innovation driven by this important partnership has allowed both corporations to expand the scope of services in our businesses. By incorporating innovation throughout the process to product offerings, our customers are empowered to scale their businesses in more creative, diverse and personalized ways,” said Ally Feng, vice president and general manager, Greater China, Avery Dennison RBIS. “The launch of the ADX Lab Ningbo is another momentous step forward in our joint pursuit to drive innovation for the industry. Moving forward, we will continue to work together closely to serve the needs of apparel and footwear brands around the world, accelerating innovation and shaping the future of the industry at large.”

Bag-converting equipment manufacturer Hudson-Sharp—part of Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) and Barry-Wehmiller’s converting equipment platform—is pleased to announce that Jason Beauleau has joined the company as Regional Sales Executive.

In his new role, Beauleau will be responsible for the Midwest region, as well as for serving multiple key customers. He will be replacing longtime Sales Executive John Krebsbach after he retires on Oct. 1, 2021. Beauleau has more than 25 years of experience in the packaging and printing industry, including 20-plus years with PCMC.

• Borealis deepens partnership with innovative recycling solutions provider Renasci N.V., acquiring a 10% minority stake in the Belgium-based creator of the Smart Chain Processing (SCP) concept
• Deal supports Borealis integrated approach to achieve a true circular economy of plastics in the most eco-efficient way, as defined by its circular cascade model
• EverMinds™ in action: Game-changing collaboration to accelerate plastics circularity

Borealis announces that it has entered into a multi-dimensional partnership with Renasci N.V., a provider of innovative recycling solutions and creator of the novel Smart Chain Processing (SCP) concept. The partnership is another key enabler for Borealis to realise its ambitions to bring circular base chemicals and polyolefins to market, and to deliver on its promise to bring 350 kilotons of recycled polyolefins into circulation by 2025.

SCP concept leaves no waste behind
The SCP concept developed by Renasci is a proprietary method of maximising material recovery in order to achieve zero waste. It is unique because it enables the processing of multiple waste streams using different recycling technologies – all under one roof. At the newly-built Renasci SCP facility in Oostende, Belgium, mixed waste – plastics, metals, and biomass – is automatically selected and sorted multiple times.

After sorting, plastic waste is first mechanically recycled, and then in a second step any remaining material is chemically recycled into circular pyrolysis oil and lighter product fractions, which are used to fuel the process.

Other types of sorted waste such as metals and organic refuse are further processed using other technologies. In the end, only 5% of the original waste remains, and even this residual material is not landfilled, but used as filler in construction materials. Because of this extremely efficient way of processing, the overall CO2 footprint of these waste streams is greatly reduced – yet another advantage of the circular SCP concept.

The cascade model is Borealis’ integrated circular approach
Borealis circular cascade model sits at the heart of its ambition to achieve a truly circular economy, by combining carefully chosen technologies in a complementary and cascading way to achieve full circularity. In this way, Borealis aims to give plastic products multiple lifetimes in the most sustainable way possible. Starting with optimising product design, first for eco-efficiency, then for re-use and finally for recycling. Once a product has reached its end of life, we must close the plastics loop: first with mechanical recycling to make products with the highest possible value, quality and lowest carbon footprint; then utilising chemical recycling, as a complement to mechanical recycling, to further valorise residual streams which would otherwise go to incineration, or even worse to landfills. The valorised material from mechanical and chemical recycling is then processed with Borealis Borcycle™ recycling technology consisting of Borcycle M for mechanical recycling and Borcycle C for chemical recycling, providing high quality solutions for more sophisticated applications, such as food packaging and healthcare.

The SCP concept is aligned to Borealis’ ambition to close the loop on plastic waste as encapsulated in its circular cascade model.

• Guidelines of the EU Commission to implement the Single-Use Plastics Directive have been published
• Uniform labelling obligation for wipes and feminine hygiene products containing plastics as of July 03, 2021
• Lenzing’s wood-based, biodegradable VEOCEL™ branded fibers as a sustainable alternative to plastic

The Lenzing Group welcomes the issuance of the guidelines for the implementation of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904, which took effect on June 05, 2019¹. In these guidelines, the EU Commission specifies which products fall within the scope of the directive, thus providing clarity in the joint fight of the EU member states against environmental pollution from plastic waste. Lenzing’s wood-based, biodegradable cellulosic fibers such as those of the VEOCEL™ brand comprise a sustainable and innovative solution to this man-made problem.

Uniform labelling rules for some single-use plastic products
The Commission implementing regulation (EU) 2020/2151 applying to the Single-Use Plastics Directive stipulate uniform labelling requirements for some of the single-use plastic products on the packaging or the product itself starting on July 03, 2021. They encompass feminine hygiene products and wet wipes for personal and household care containing plastic.

Consumers want sustainable hygiene products
Even before the implementation of the Single-Use Plastics Directive, Lenzing already gives consumers clear guidance in their purchasing decisions. Products bearing the VEOCEL™ brand logo on their packaging are produced in line with stringent certification criteria. As a consequence, consumers can be assured that the products contain biodegradable, cellulosic materials.

A Marketagent survey carried out in German-speaking Europe in October 2019² concluded that nine out of ten consumers would immediately change their purchasing behavior for wipes if they found out that their current product contains plastic. This would seem to imply that new market dynamics will emerge once the labelling rules for single-use plastic products takes effect. According to a Smithers Report³, about 500,000 tons of petroleum-based fibers are used each year for the production of wipes.

¹ Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment
² Representative Marketagent Online survey, n = 1,005 (14 - 69 years old, from Austria and Germany). https://itsinourhands.com/
³ Smithers Report “The Future of Global Nonwoven Wipes to 2023”, published in 2018, page 23, reference year 2018

International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from Pratrivero s.p.a. to supply a new eXcelle batt forming line for their production facilities in Valdilana, Italy. The line will be dedicated to the production of Maliwatt products, used in furnishing, automotive, naval, medical, geotextiles, advertising, clothing, and packaging applications. Installation and start-up are scheduled for the third quarter of 2021.

The ANDRITZ batt forming line includes an eXcelle card and eXcelle crosslapper, a ProDyn™ web profiling correction system as well as a scanning gauge with a closed loop. The ProDyn system combines actions from the card doffers with dynamic speed variation at the crosslapper. This will result in substantial fiber savings and reduction in CV%, providing improved weight evenness in the final product. The ProDyn closed loop will ensure the best possible self-regulation for the equipment and thus enable Pratrivero to produce one of the best product qualities on the market. Pratrivero will be the world’s first company to use the ProDyn technology in the Maliwatt stitchbonding process.

Stitchbond is a nonwoven process made by mechanically interlocking fiber webs with continuous filaments, thus imitating textiles. Stitchbonded products are used in many applications due to their lower production costs compared to woven textiles. Among all the different nonwoven processes in which it operates, ANDRITZ is also a market-leading supplier of batt forming equipment for the stitchbonding processes producing Maliwatt, Malivlies and quilting.

Pratrivero is an important player in the production of nonwoven fabrics using stitchbonding technology.