• ELIX integrates the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) in its business strategy
• In 2019, the company reduced its emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by nearly 10%
• This report on fiscal year 2019 is based on the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) Standards Guide

ELIX Polymers is a leading producer specialised in thermoplastic materials, and since 2016, the year when it issued its first sustainability report, it has been continuously strengthening its commitment to transparenc
 
Continuing with this commitment, for the fourth consecutive year ELIX is presenting its 2019 sustainability report, which reflects all the advances achieved and the challenges that have been met over the last year, in line with the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations.
For ELIX, 2019 represented the beginning of a new stage of consolidation and growth as a member of the Sinochem Group, during which it increased its presence in the NAFTA and APAC markets as a benchmark provider of ABS solutions.
David Castañeda, CEO, had this to say: “On the occasion of presenting this report, I’d like to take the opportunity to mention the lines and principles based on which ELIX Polymers is developing its sustainability strategy for the 2030 horizon, which include enhancing the transition towards the circular economy, reducing our ecological footprint, adopting ethical values and committing to the development of human capital”.
“Only through cooperation between the various players in the value chain can the transition to a circular economy model be accelerated, according to which waste is converted into raw materials and an urgent response is given to reducing the impact on the environment due to the use of plastics in our society. We will therefore include our stakeholders as participants in our goals, and we will establish partnerships as a part of our sustainability programmes, focused on the following: developing a portfolio of more sustainable solutions; driving responsible innovation; and caring for the climate (reduction of GHGs), the supply chain, responsible operations, ethics and people development”, Castañeda added.
ELIX has continued to advance on reducing its environmental impact by investing in projects that have allowed it to reach nearly a 10% reduction in its GHG emissions. Moreover, its desire to improve year after year has led ELIX to being recognised with several awards, including the Best Polymer Producers Awards for Europe 2020, which was earned for the third consecutive year and distinguishes the best ABS manufacturer of the year. It also earned renewal of the EcoVadis certificate at the GOLD level, thereby placing ELIX among the top 2% of evaluated companies with the best score and reaffirming its commitment to sustainable growth.
Judith Banús, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, commented: “During 2019 we’ve worked based on the four cornerstones of the Corporate Social Responsibility policy defined in 2018, thereby incorporating sustainability at the company and throughout the value chain, which allows us to improve the environment, our human team and our community and consequently contribute to the commitments defined by ELIX in the Management by Missions project”.
Furthermore, Banús wanted to make special mention of the Sustainable Development Goals: “The SDGs will guide ELIX’s new strategy of sustainability, to which we will give the green light in 2020. At the end of 2019, in a participatory meeting with key persons of the organisation, we internally identified those SDGs regarding which ELIX, because of its impact, has the special ability or responsibility to contribute to their improvement”.
www.elix-polymers.com

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), the leading authority in sustainable printing certifications, announced the virtual 2020 SGP Community Day will take place on November 17. The community event provides insight into sustainability and shares best practices of SGP Certified Facilities, Patrons, Brand Leaders and Resource Partners who support the sustainable print supply chain.
SGP Community Day is the non-profit`s sustainability conference for thought leaders in the printing industry. The event brings together printers, suppliers and Fortune 500 brands to advance the industry’s sustainability performance. Through focused presentations and networking opportunities, the event creates a community of practice that allows participants to connect, learn and build a new future together. The SGP Community Day theme aligns with the community mission: Leading Sustainability for the Printing Industry.

“Although this is our first ever virtual SGP Community Day, I see a stronger engagement among our SGP Certified Facilities and community through the challenges this year, with an increase in sharing best practices and supporting each other in our sustainability journey,” said Theresa Vanna, SGP board member and Primex Plastics Corporation representative. “With a focus on sustainability in practice, our event will help keep the conversation and expert network strong with practical advice and inspiration on being sustainability leaders for the printing industry and our city and states.”
SGP Community Day 2020 is open to SGP community members.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sgp-community-day-2020-tickets-124937191503  / www.sgppartnership.org
 

No matter what you mine, you have to juggle a lot of priorities to make certain that your mine operates successfully. You need to maximize equipment availability, reduce fuel costs, find ways to reduce your cost per ton and more!

While you may use different tools to achieve these goals, success on all fronts demands a best-in-class maintenance strategy.
But, with so many different pieces of equipment – many of which are made by different manufacturers and have their own operating requirements – and with the increasing complexity of today’s integrated mines, a no-hassle maintenance program can be difficult to build.
Our mining experts here at Mobil have decades of experience helping companies address all types of maintenance challenges, and we are an integral part of our company’s own mine – the Kearl Oil Sands project in northern Canada. We know what it takes to keep a mine running.
To help address these commonly faced maintenance challenges, we’ve pulled together three best practices you should consider when building a best-in-class strategy.

1. Maximize truck availability while preserving warranties

When every minute of uptime is critical, it can be difficult to justify taking machinery offline for scheduled service. At the same time, it can also be difficult to assess the optimal service interval – one that’s not too cautious nor too risky. Many mines, however, are overly cautious with their service intervals, and there is opportunity to extend them or reduce the time in shop to get more productivity from your equipment without sacrificing the reliability of them.
You need to work with OEMs, your lube supplier, and other partners to design an optimal servicing schedule and program. These partners can help your staff test new approaches without violating your warranty – a critical safeguard. As a result, you’ll drive higher availability and lower your mine’s cost per ton.
In one instance, selecting the right lubricant for Kearl Oil Sands’ saved more than US $1.6 million by safely extending the oil drain intervals of its hydraulic equipment by six times the OEM-recommended limit.

1. Ensure your team is working as efficiently as possible, regardless of experience level

Due to frequent personnel changeover associated with mining operations, the loss of information among personnel can often create a scarcity of knowledge among the new, young talent being brought in. Unfortunately, this means that maintenance teams are often re-learning how to properly maintain equipment.
As experts in mining equipment and maintenance, lubricant suppliers effectively help mines overcome this challenge by providing more advanced products that require less frequent maintenance. Furthermore, lubricant suppliers can help train staff in accomplishing everyday tasks, helping them better understand how an effective lubrication and maintenance program should look.

1. Digitize your maintenance program

Mining personnel are no strangers to digitization, given that many sites have already integrated new digital technologies to monitor critical equipment performance and boost productivity. However, few technologies have focused on improving maintenance program efficiency – until now.
There is a rising crop of new digital platforms that can help you organize, automate, streamline, and consolidate all maintenance-related activities. You can schedule work orders, keep track of maintenance progress, incorporate inspection data and much, much more. To learn more, read about our first-of-its-kind Mobil Serv Lubrication Management (MSLM) platform, which is one recent example of these new digital opportunities.
https://club.mobilindustrial.com/
Greg Peters

California Camp Fire Focus of Trade Association Investigation

The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) said that its investigation of benzene contamination in the water supply of fire damaged areas such as Paradise, California has determined that the cause is not from pipe made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), but was from the burned-out environment. This debris was sucked into the pipes, contaminating the water system regardless of the pipe material. The major North American trade association representing the plastic pipe industry conducted the study in response to claims that the melting of HDPE pipe led to the production of benzene, a carcinogen.
“We wanted to ascertain that HDPE or any grade of polyethylene pipe was not the cause of the benzene being found in this specific area,” stated David M. Fink, president of PPI.  “Our staff of professional, licensed engineers have spent many hours talking to and have conducted on-site visits with Paradise Irrigation District officials.  Plus, our staff and members have been in contact with the researchers in California who are employed by PID or the state who have helped to investigate the source of benzene and other chemicals in the drinking water.  PPI also focused on what role, if any, plastic pipes may have played in the overall situation.  There has been no evidence found that plastic pipes of any material are responsible for the production of benzene or any other contaminant due to the heating of pipes during the Camp Fire.”
According to the association, before the 2018 fire, the Paradise Irrigation District had 170  miles of underground water mains, typically buried 36 to 48 inches deep, with seven pressure zones to accommodate various elevations.  The materials used for water mains included steel, cast iron, asbestos cement, and PVC.  The majority of houses and structures in Paradise were built in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.  Water service connections/laterals primarily used steel, polybutylene (PB), copper, PVC, and HDPE.  Plumbing for hot- and cold-water within houses were predominantly copper, with some steel and polybutylene (PB).  Newer materials such as PEX and CPVC were rarely found in the older structures.  Another finding was that backflow prevention devices were installed at commercial connections, but not at most residential connections.  The fire destroyed 18,000 of the 20,000 buildings in the town.
Fink, who holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and B.S. in Chemistry from Gannon University (Erie, PA), continued to say that contamination, including benzene, was found in all types of pipe used for water mains, even those buried deep in the ground and not exposed to the heat of the fire.  Contamination was also found in both metal and plastic service laterals.  “There are many ways that different chemicals can find their way into the environment, especially in a fire where flame temperatures can hit 1,500 F.”
As the Town of Paradise rebuilds and more residents return, PID is replacing lateral water service lines to affected buildings, typically using HDPE PE4710 water service pipe material produced in accordance with AWWA Standard C901 by many PPI member firms.
“The plastic piping materials such as HDPE, PEX, and PE-RT, when produced, sold, and certified for this purpose according to standards by AWWA and other agencies, are proven to provide safe and reliable delivery of clean drinking water,” Fink stated.
 
https://plasticpipe.org

Two Documents Detail Steps for
Polyethylene and PA12 Pipe
The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) announced that it has two new technical reports available that discuss steps for the fusion of polyethylene and PA12 pipe. “TR-49 Generic Electrofusion User Guide for Field Joining of Polyethylene Gas Piping” and “TR-50 Generic Butt Fusion Joining Procedure for Field Joining of Polyamaide-12 (PA12) Pipe are available without charge at the association’s Energy Piping Systems Division website. PPI is the major North American trade association representing the plastic pipe industry.
“For more than four decades of heat fusion of polyethene pipe has provided leak-free joints,” stated Randy Knapp, Ph.D., engineering director. “A PPI task group was formed in 2017 to examine the differences and similarities among the varying joining procedures.  It was also a goal to provide a more uniform, or “generic” joining procedure that could be implemented by pipeline operators for regulated gas applications as required by the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49. Our new TR-49 report is a step-by-step guide that encompasses our task group’s findings and also contains guidance based on leading gas utility review and the latest research on surface preparation, cleaning and scraping techniques published by the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). This user guide is the first of its kind to provide generic industry guidance for electrofusion developed in cooperation with leading gas utilities.”

Knapp said the other guide TR-50 focuses on one of the newest gas piping materials. “Polyamide-12 (PA12) piping is now approved for use in regulated gas applications and is well suited for high-pressure gas installations. This new PPI technical report provides a uniform joining procedure that brings a greater consistency to this aspect of gas pipeline installation, will help to facilitate the pipeline operator’s efforts to qualify the procedure, reduce costs, and simplify DOT’s enforcement duties. It also discusses fusion parameters and visual inspection guidelines specific to PA-12.”
www.plasticpipe.org / https://plasticpipe.org/energy/

SABIC, a global leader in the chemicals industry, today announced its collaboration with The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), a global leader in prestige beauty, global skincare brand Origins Natural Resources Inc. and beauty packaging manufacturer Albéa for the upcoming 2021 market debut of an advanced beauty tube pack for Origins. It will be the first prestige beauty brand to use certified circular polyolefins from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio to launch a tube pack format of its global best-selling Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask.
Origins will be using tubes made from certified circular polyolefins manufactured by SABIC as a result of a revolutionary recycling process. The cap of the new packaging will be made from certified circular Polypropylene (PP), while the tube structure is made from certified circular Polyethylene (PE). SABIC’s advanced recycling technology regenerates hard-to-recycle plastics, which would otherwise be destined for incineration or landfill. It breaks them down to produce purified chemical products, which are then used as a feedstock to recreate high-performance plastics akin to a virgin material – in this case, polyethylene and polypropylene. SABIC’s ground-breaking, certified circular polyethylene and polypropylene are part of its TRUCIRCLE portfolio of circular solutions. Through the use of this innovative technology, Origins, ELC, SABIC and Albéa are pushing the pace of development needed across the value chain to drive a circular plastic economy.

“At The Estée Lauder Companies, we approach sustainable design options for our prestige and luxury packaging with a spirit of collaboration. To further our focus on reducing the potential environmental impacts of a package across its lifecycle, we are proud to partner with SABIC and Albéa on Origins’ industry-first sustainable packaging innovation,” states Sushil Iyer, Vice President, Global Packaging, The Estée Lauder Companies. “Exploring the uses of Post-Consumer Recycle – PCR – is an incredible resource to drive our sustainable packaging goals, and we are excited to bring a more advanced recycled PCR solution to market.”
In line with ELC’s sustainable packaging goals, which include increasing the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) material in its packaging, the strategic partnership will further Origins’ commitment to convert at least 80% by weight of its packaging to recyclable, refillable, reusable, recycled or recoverable by 2023. The masking beauty leader’s long-term goal is to convert all of its current mask tube packs to include recycled plastic by 2023.
A true pioneer in the ‘naturals’ space, Origins’ investment in sustainable packaging solutions truly reflects its core values. For 30 years, the brand has continued to seek out the most powerful ingredients from nature, identify safe alternatives and use breakthrough science to unleash and deliver transformative results – all while continually striving to make decisions that help reduce environmental impact.
“Respect for our planet is ingrained into our brand’s DNA. It guides all that we do and is reflected in our Origins offerings, which is why we’re excited to partner with SABIC and Albéa and provide our consumers with a safe, high-quality and sustainable packaging solution that reduces our impact on the environment,” says Francesca Damato, Origins’ Vice President for Global Marketing and Product Development. “Together, we have an exciting opportunity to define how the prestige beauty industry can create attractive as well as responsible packaging that pleases both consumers and the planet. This is a significant first step in the transition towards a circular economy, helping to close the loop on plastic waste.”
Mark Vester, Circular Economy Leader at SABIC, adds: “The new Origins packaging is the result of true collaboration and innovation, and another step forward to closing the loop on used plastics. We are committed to collaborating with partners across the value chain in working towards a more sustainable, circular future.”
“Albéa has been at the forefront of sustainable development in packaging for many years and was the first beauty packaging company to commit to making their solutions 100% circular by 2025. This breakthrough with Origins, The Estée Lauder Companies and SABIC is an industry-first – paving the way for the use of advanced recycled, post-consumer waste into prestige beauty packaging thanks to an innovative source of high-quality resins,” emphasizes Stéphane Barlet, VP of Sales, Albéa Americas. “This co-development also highlights the importance of partnership and audacity across the value chain, which is crucial for accelerating the transition to recyclable and reusable packaging.”
SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE offering spans from design for recyclability services and mechanically recycled materials to certified circular products from chemical recycling of used plastics and certified renewable polymers from bio-based feedstock. SABIC’s certified polymers are based on a mass balance approach. This widely recognized international sustainability certification scheme verifies that the mass balance accounting follows predefined and transparent rules. In addition, it provides traceability along the supply chain, from the feedstock to the final product.
 
www.sabic.com / www.elcompanies.com / www.ORIGINS.com / www.albea-group.com

Millad NX 8000 technology is fully compatible with polypropylene (PP) recycling processes in Europe and poses no recyclability issues, according to RecyClass, a cross-industry initiative that works to advance plastic packaging recyclability on the continent.
RecyClass approval applies to the technology itself, while the packaging using the technology must adhere to certain conditions to be considered fully compatible with the PP recycling stream. These include the maximum content of the technology of 0,4% compared to the overall packaging weight.

Testing was conducted by Plastics Forming Enterprise, in accordance with the APR PP Critical and Application Guidance protocol. Recyclates generated via recycling of packaging containing this clarifying agent can be used in high-quality applications. In this protocol a concentration limit of 50% is tested.
Millad NX 8000, including its variants Millad NX 8000E, for PP blow molding applications, and Millad NX 8000 ECO, a sustainable clarifying agent for PP, is used by more resin producers than any other, making it the number one clarifier for PP in the world.
Millad NX 8000 not only transforms polypropylene into a crystal clear alternative to glass, PET, PVC and PC, but boosts sustainability. Compared to previous generation clarifier technologies, it offers faster production rates and average energy savings of 10% in the production of injection molded clarified polypropylene parts. As a result, converters and brand owners can use the UL Environmental Claim Validation label to highlight the energy consumption reductions achieved with its use in a transparent PP product.
In addition to these market leading benefits, Millad NX 8000 ECO addresses concerns related to migration, especially in food contact applications, by reducing Specific Migration Limits, or SMLs, without adding any new ingredients to the formulation. It also maintains a consistent, fresh appearance in all retail lighting, regardless of the presence of UV light from the light source.
Just last year, Millad NX 8000 clarifier received Critical Guidance Recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), validating that the additive is compatible with plastic packaging recycling. This latest certification further demonstrates that Millad NX 8000 technology promotes the increased recyclability of packaging. The technology’s compatibility with recycling is another step closer to the establishment of a genuine circular economy for plastic packaging.
chemical.milliken.com / www.milliken.com / www.recyclass.eu