Materials maker Ineos is sourcing renewable raw materials from UPM Biofuels to make what Ineos officials are calling the world's first commercially available bioattributed PVC.
Officials with Ineos in London said in a news release that the agreement with Helsinki-based UPM supports their firm's plans to make a range of plastics with significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Company officials first announced the commercial launch of the bioattributed PVC resin at K 2019 in Germany. The Feb. 11 news release announced the long-term supply agreement with UPM Biofuels.
The new PVC uses residue from wood pulp manufacturing and is being made at an Ineos Olefins & Polymers plant in Cologne, Germany. The raw material is called UPM BioVerno and has also been used to make bioattributed polyolefins.
The new bio-PVC is being marketed as Biovyn and can be used in a wide range of products from food packaging to medical products and pipe, officials said. They added that the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) has certified each step in the process, starting from UPM converting the wood-based residue into hydrocarbons, through to the final polymer.
BioVerno is a bio-based cracker feedstock that does not compete with food production, officials said. By replacing fossil based raw materials with BioVerno in its cracker, Ineos will contribute to a significant reduction in carbon emissions, they added.
"This partnership in combination with RSB certification gives customers the confidence that they are choosing a high quality, sustainable product," Ineos Olefins & Polymers Europe North CEO Rob Ingram said in the release.
Maiju Helin, UPM sustainability and market development head, added that the collaboration with Ineos is "a great step forward in the bio-economy."