According to data from MSCI ESG Research LLC, businesses that prioritize social responsibility and offer long-term sustainable investment value align with the expectations of investors of all ages for future investment trends. This point underscores intriguing insights from the Global Risks Report 2021 by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The report indicates that the world will inevitably confront environmental challenges stemming from human behaviors in the next decade. Consequently, businesses today, including emerging businesses, must prioritize environmental concerns.
SCGC GREEN POLYMER™ by SCGC represents a plastic innovation that aligns with global trends: technology trends, innovation trends, market trends, and future trends related to climate change, alternative energy, eco-friendly packaging, and good governance, all directed towards sustainability.
As the regional leader of Chemicals Business for Sustainability, SCGC has developed green innovations, or environmentally-friendly plastic innovations that respond to sustainability trends under the brand SCGC GREEN POLYMER™. This innovation addresses the sustainable plastic usage needs by adopting the circular economy principles, optimizing benefits and value through four solutions: REDUCE, RECYCLABLE, RECYCLE, and RENEWABLE.
‘REDUCE’: Improved Quality with Lesser Resource Utilization
The starting point for resource efficiency is to use as few resources as possible while reaping maximum benefits. This philosophy is the driving force behind the Reduce solution from SCGC GREEN POLYMER™, which has developed plastic resins with enhanced strength, adhesiveness, and durability. This improvement is achieved through SCGC's proprietary SMX™ Technology, which elevates the properties of plastic resins to maintain high quality, allowing for reduced plastic usage. As a result, the output products are thinner, lighter in weight, and contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Product Brand Highlight: 'Shokubutsu' Shower Cream Bottled Type
‘RECYCLABLE’ Made from a Single Material - Simplifying the Recycling Process
Flexible packaging, such as wrappers for frozen food, dry foods, snacks, and refill pouches, is a popular packaging choice. However, recycling these materials has long posed challenges for everyone involved in the value chain. This is because such packaging is often made from multi-layered materials adhered together to prevent the permeation of water and air, ensuring the quality of the contained products. Recycling these packages becomes difficult since separating the layers, consisting of films from various materials is almost impossible by hand. Consequently, the likelihood of these materials re-entering the recycling process remains slim.
With the Recyclable solution from SCGC GREEN POLYMER™, flexible packaging has evolved further with the Recyclable Packaging Solution, a solution designed for manufacturers and product brands. This packaging, which is 100% recyclable, aligns with the sustainability trends. SCGC has created a film coating innovation to prevent air permeation, effectively replacing multi-materials. This transforms the package into one made from a single type of material, or 'Mono-Material,' which can be efficiently recycled. Furthermore, it retains the essential properties to maintain the product's quality. This innovation has been certified by international standards RecyClass, making it the first in ASEAN. Presently, more manufacturers are adopting this innovation. Product Brand Highlight: ‘Shokubutsu’ Shower Cream Refill Pouch Type
‘RECYCLE’ - High Quality with Repurposability
Wouldn't it be wonderful if every piece of plastic on our planet had the chance for a new life? The 'Recycle' solution from SCGC GREEN POLYMER™ enables used plastics to be recycled and transformed into High-Quality Post-Consumer Recycled Resin (PCR). SCGC has been continuously enhancing the properties of these recycled resins, aiming to reduce the need for virgin plastic and repurpose it for various products. This meets the growing trend of plastic innovations for sustainability.
But SCGC's advancements do not stop there. The company has elevated its recycling technology to a higher level. With the 'Advanced Recycling' technology, used plastics can be converted into feedstock for petrochemical plants. This material can then be processed into plastic resins with properties equivalent to virgin plastic. It can be used for food packaging and has been certified for its sustainable standards by ISCC PLUS from the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) throughout the supply chain.
SCGC's commitment to producing recycled plastic resins has extended into the key markets in Europe, beginning with an investment in Sirplaste, a leading recycled plastic company in Portugal. Sirplaste has augmented its production capacity for high-quality recycled plastic resins by 25 of the total production capacities. As a result, Sirplaste's total capacity for producing recycled plastic resins reached 45,000 tons annually. But the efforts do not stop there. SCGC has ventured into investing in the KRAS Group, a leading waste management company from the Netherlands. This strategic move aims to holistically integrate the recycled plastic production business, catering to a global market, especially in Europe, with a growing demand for environmentally-friendly packaging. Product Brand Highlights: Unilever Dishwashing Liquid Gallon, Shell Lubricant Gallon, ‘Pao’ Liquid Laundry Detergent, Packaging for the Colgate-Palmolive Group's 'Care' and 'Protex' Powder Brands
‘RENEWABLE’ Biodegradable - Resource Circulation
One of the groundbreaking developments in eco-friendly plastics is the invention of plastics derived from natural materials like plants (bio-based) and renewable resources that have a lower carbon footprint than conventional plastics. Additionally, biodegradable plastics help address the issue of discarded plastics that escape into nature.
Recognizing the need and the opportunity in the production of bioplastics, SCGC has partnered with Braskem, a global leader in bioplastics from Brazil. The collaborative effort has been proactively exploring the feasibility of investing in a bioplastic production plant in Thailand to manufacture “Bio-Ethanol,” a raw material for producing “Bio-Polyethylene” (Bio-PE) with a prime focus on exporting to markets in Japan and Europe, where the demand for bioplastics is on the rise. Bio-PE offers the distinct advantage of easy recyclability, which does not produce waste in the decomposition process. Furthermore, its production process is environmentally friendly as it helps absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
SCGC GREEN POLYMERTM represents a trend in plastic innovation responding to sustainability trends. It marks a significant turning point for the chemical businesses, transforming plastic packaging towards sustainability. SCGC has set a target to increase the sales volume of green polymer products to 1 million tons per year by 2030. This move aims to promote the valuable use of resources following the principles of the circular economy, building towards better solutions for consumers in both usage and environmental care. It is a step forward with people of every generation in the future.
