Eastman

Plastic, the “wonder material” of the modern industrial era. It was made to be light, safe, and designed to last with properties so versatile that it is impossible to find another material as adaptable as plastic. The possibility to shape it under heat to almost any form or shape imaginable has made it an invaluable resource, particularly during the recent pandemic when protective equipment was needed at short notice. Plastic is not just one material. It is a material family consisting of several different types which all have their special characteristics tailored to meet the needs of various applications for toughness, heat resistance, chemical resistance, clarity or colour, or whatever the requirements might be. Plastics have enabled many modern-day conveniences such as food packaging for microwaving, shopping bags, unbreakable soft drink bottles, fast fashion, and mobile phones. It has also provided life-saving medical equipment and devices. And most of these at a very reasonable cost.   

Plastic production has grown enormously since the 1950s, with a global production estimated to be around 400 million metric tons nowadays. It is expected to continue increasing by four percent annually.  As the use of plastics continues to grow, so does the amount of waste generated, leading to environmental concerns. Rather than making even more plastics from fossil-derived resources, it is crucial to consider alternative feedstocks including non-food biomass crops, agricultural by-products and different waste streams as well as using the latest technologies capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) to make intermediates for plastics or chemicals. 

The chemical industry is one of the largest and most diversified manufacturing industries. This industry has the potential to lead innovation of sustainable processes and products. The need to make the most out of the existing assets is driving the search for non-fossil-derived alternatives both for energy sources and raw materials (feedstock). Nature’s fossil reserves are finite and not renewable in our lifetime, so changing the way plastics are made, used and disposed is becoming increasingly important. Keeping valuable materials in use as much as possible is key to creating a circular economy.  

“Rather than making even more plastics from fossil-derived resources, it is crucial to consider alternative feedstocks including non-food biomass crops, agricultural by-products, and different waste streams as well as using the latest carbon dioxide capturing technologies to make intermediates for plastics or chemicals.“

Bio-based raw materials are attractive due to their renewable nature, and of particular interest are agricultural by-products and industrial by-products, as these do not compete with food production. But the by-product volumes tend to be limited and their conversion technologies are not yet mature, making them more expensive than using fossil feedstocks.   

When chemical recycling was seen as part of the solution  

I have been working in the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In the early years of working in polyethylene manufacturing, the focus was optimising the process to make more of the same but cheaper. But today, the world has changed.  

We are facing big challenges. Climate change, global warming, and feeding a growing population are of concern. Waste is increasing (not only plastic waste) and we need to find solutions to those challenges.  

I remember when the famous BBC ‘Blue Planet’ program was broadcasted in 2017, showing plastic waste in the oceans. At that moment, chemical recycling became a promising approach to addressing plastic pollution.   

Effective recycling systems and technologies play a key role in dealing with complex plastic waste. Initiatives to collect more waste and sort it into various streams that can be used by the industry to transform this into recycled feedstocks, have an enormous potential to eliminate several process steps in the manufacture of products and reduce carbon emissions. Recycling is part of the circular economy model, which has gained a lot of traction in recent years.  

The chemical industry is on an innovation pathway toward an environmentally beneficial circular economy. Petrochemical companies are utilising pyrolysis oil made from waste to replace crude oil to produce various hydrocarbons for chemicals and materials production. Gasification can break plastic waste down to synthesis gas (carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂)) for manufacturing chemical intermediates. Depolymerisation technologies break the plastics into basic building blocks (monomers), which can then be polymerised and used for new plastic products.

These technologies are commonly known as chemical recycling because they break plastic waste directly into basic molecules or monomers. Several process steps between fossil feedstock excavation to suitable intermediates can be eliminated, and the contribution to GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions reduction can be significant. Interestingly, various chemical recycling technologies have existed for decades but have not been deployed widely due to lack of suitable waste streams, logistics, and market pull therefore lacking economic viability.  

Chemical recycling of plastics is an old process and existing assets are now being adjusted for a new purpose. These have potential to turn the plastic waste into secondary raw materials (recyclates), which reduce the need for new non-renewable fossil feeds in plastics production.  

I am truly fortunate to be part of Eastman’s journey to implement plastics chemical recycling technologies in the manufacture of products that are durable and necessary in our everyday life. Today I lead a team who advocates for well-written policies, which can accelerate the development and scale-up of these technologies to reinvent plastic manufacturing.