Industry experts recently gathered to discuss the future of sustainability at AFPM's International Petrochemical Conference, addressing topics such as innovation, ingenuity and collaboration, as well as which developing technologies will help to address sustainability issues.
According to Benny Mermans, vice president of sustainability for Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP, sustainability should be looked at from two angles: improving quality of life and actively protecting the planet.
"We are committed to producing our products sustainably, but at the same time we also want to make sure that we leave the lightest possible carbon footprint behind and enable others to do so as well," Mermans said. "Sustainability is not an initiative, a program or a plan. It is something that is embedded in our culture that guides everything we do."
Mermans added that sustainability at his company concerns three main pillars: climate, product sustainability and circularity, and social responsibility.
Rob Flores, vice president of sustainability at Berry Global, noted that his company tackles sustainability issues by designing for circularity.
"When I think about 'net zero by 2050,' I think bioplastics are going to become a much larger portion of the industry," Flores said. "How do we make sure we are using products that are truly safe and aren't migrating any chemicals of concern [into the environment]?"
Flores also noted that many sustainability initiatives in the industry focus on improving efficiency, but doing so will only help to reduce emissions, not eliminate them.
"We need to figure out a way to put some negatives on the board," he said. "That's the only way to really approach 'zero.'"
Barriers to advanced recycling
One topic that is often discussed in relation to sustainability is advanced recycling, the process by which plastic polymers are recycled back into their original molecules so they can be reprocessed and reused again and again. According to Mermans, his company faces two barriers to making advanced recycling viable: technology and legislative frameworks.
"It's important to recognize that our industry is built upon innovation," he said. "I'm confident that we'll overcome those technological barriers. Pushing legislation to support that space is going to be critical. Hopefully, when we overcome those two [challenges], we'll see a drive in growth. Advanced recycling is going to be critical to a circular economy."
If the legislative framework for advanced recycling does not exist, Mermans said, it is going to be difficult to implement industry-wide.
Flores added that while the industry has historically pushed back against regulation, he is beginning to see the ways regulation can enable some of the aforementioned changes.
"Once we get regulation to where we need it to be, it'll go a lot faster," Flores said. "You also need to communicate the benefits of [advanced recycling] to brand owners."
Innovation is key
According to Flores, R&D teams throughout the industry will be at the forefront of addressing sustainability issues going forward.
"Plastics is one of the most innovative materials," Flores said. "It's evolved from oil to natural gas to incorporating more recycled feedstocks and biofeedstocks. Innovation is how plastics and the petrochemical industry win."
Mermans agreed with Flores, stating that innovation will be absolutely essential to tackling the concerns regarding the sustainability of plastics.
"Innovation is in our DNA," Mermans said. "Look at how plastics impact our economies and the way we live. If you consider [a world without] plastics, I think it would look pretty sad, to be very candid. Plastics preserve food, make communication possible and make energy evolution possible. If you take all of that away, without innovation, our industry would simply not be there."
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