Neste, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. and Toyota Tsusho Corp. today announced their collaboration to enable the first industrial production of plastics and chemicals with renewable resources from 100% bio-based hydrocarbons in Japan.
Under the collaboration, Mitsui Chemicals will use Neste RE™ brand 100% bio-based hydrocarbons produced by Neste to replace some of its fossil feedstock in the production of a variety of plastics and chemicals at its petrochemical plants in Osaka in 2021. Mitsui Chemicals will thus be the first Japanese company to use bio-based raw materials in its steam crackers. The collaboration between Neste, Mitsui Chemicals and Toyota Tsusho will enable brand owners and other potential customers in the Asian market, particularly in Japan, to include plastics and chemicals from renewable resources in their offerings.
Significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by switching to bio-based hydrocarbons
In this collaboration, Neste, the pioneer in developing raw material alternatives from renewable resources for the plastics and chemicals industry, supplies its Neste RE raw materials entirely from renewable resources such as bio-based waste and residual oils without fossil oil. By using Neste RE, Mitsui Chemicals can produce plastics and chemicals with significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the products - from raw material production to disposal - compared to products made from fossil raw materials.
Derivatives have the same high quality as petroleum-based products
The introduction of Neste RE into steam crackers will enable Mitsui Chemicals to produce ethylene, propylene, C4 fractions, benzene, etc. from renewable resources and process them into base chemicals such as phenol, or plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene, without affecting the high quality of the products.
Mitsui Chemicals and Toyota Tsusho intend to obtain the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), which is known worldwide as a system for certifying products made from bio-based raw materials. The ISCC Plus certification, based on the mass balance principle, is designed to ensure that the necessary criteria for traceability and sustainability of renewable resources are guaranteed in supply chains with complex production processes.
"For the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, Mitsui Chemicals is committed to supporting the adoption of a circular economy based on recycling and the use of bio-based alternatives for its chemical and plastic products," said Akio HIRAHARA, Managing Executive Officer for Corporate Sustainability at Mitsui Chemicals. "Switching from fossil to bio-based feedstocks helps combat global warming and is considered an important strategic element on the path to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. With this in mind, Mitsui Chemicals will not only develop materials from high-quality bio-based feedstocks and processes, but also work with other stakeholders to advance the general use of biomass in society."
"Bringing sustainable plastics and chemicals to market can only be successful if all parties in the value chain work closely together. We are therefore very excited about our partnership with Mitsui Chemicals and Toyota Tsusho, two industry leaders, with whom we will launch the first production of high-value, high-performance plastics from the 100% bio-based Neste RE in Japan. Through this collaboration, we can reduce dependence on fossil feedstocks and support Japan to achieve its national climate and bio-based polymer feedstock targets, in line with Neste's goal to drive development towards a circular bioeconomy," says Mercedes Alonso, Executive Vice President, Renewable Polymers and Chemicals at Neste.
"We are very pleased that with our decades of experience, we are able to provide our plastics market with the best circular economy solutions for the whole process," says Kazuyuki Urata, COO of Toyota Tsusho's Chemicals & Electronics Division. "This project is specifically designed to support progress on materials sustainability issues identified within our business."
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