Speciality chemicals company LANXESS and energy company BP have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at increasing the use of sustainable raw materials in high-tech plastics production.
The partnership will reportedly involve BP supplying cyclohexane, which it claims is sustainably produced, to LANXESS’ production site in Antwerp, Belgium, starting in the fourth quarter of 2021.
The sustainable origin of the raw materials is certified according to International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus rules, according to the companies. BP says it uses bio-based feedstocks, such as rapeseed oil or biomass, for the production of its cyclohexane.
LANXESS uses cyclohexane as a precursor in the production of polyamide 6, a high-performance plastic primarily used in the automotive, electrical, and consumer goods industries.
Wolfgang Stückle, vice president of midstream refining and specialties solutions in Europe and Africa at BP, comments: “The chemical industry plays an important role in the expansion of the circular economy and efficient sustainable management.
“To meet the global challenges of climate change, creative approaches to solutions and collaboration are needed in service of our customers.”
Marcel Beermann, head of global procurement and logistics at LANXESS, adds: “High-performance plastics are the solution for many sustainable products, for example in various e-mobility applications.
“It is now important to also make the production of this valuable material sustainable. In this context, the use of bio-based raw materials, along with modern recycling processes, is a key lever.”
Earlier this year, BP announced an agreement with SABIC to increase the production of feedstock from used mixed plastics in order to reduce the amount of fossil resources used in the petrochemical plants at SABIC’s Gelsenkirchen chemical complex in Germany. Meanwhile, in 2020, LANXESS launched a new range of MDI polyether prepolymers containing renewable, bio-based raw materials. The new partnership between BP and LANXESS consolidates the companies’ “long-standing business relationship” while furthering its targets of advancing the production of so-called sustainable plastics.
