Extrusion International 3-2023-USA

35 Extrusion International 3/2022 2023 Re|focus Sustainability Innovation Award Winners Announced The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has announced the win- ners of its 2023 Re|focus Sustainabili- ty Innovation Awards that recognize outstanding innovations in plastics manufacturing that further environ- mental advantages in design, mate- rial, and end-of-life management. PLASTICS’ Vice President of Sus- tainability, Patrick Krieger, congrat- ulated the winners stating, “The plastic industry is innovating every day to find new ways to keep plastic in the circular economy and out of the environment. I congratulate our winners and am proud to be part of an industry that is committed to sus- tainability and advancing the circu- lar economy.” Sustainable Innovation in Design Award Avient Corporation is the winner of the design award for their Color Prediction Service (CPS). It’s the first digital tool of its kind that can illus- trate the color possibilities or limi- tations of certain types of recycled resins (PCR) prior to laboratory tri- als. This can help shorten the time- to-launch of new product ranges, allowing fast and reliable checks prior to initiating sample develop- ment and simplifying the overall decision-making process for brand owners and technical colorists. Sustainable Innovation in Materials Award Envision Plastics is the winner of materials award for their EcoPrime ® Fit for Food Contact HDPE and PP PCR. EcoPrime ® is made of postcon- sumer containers that started out as food packaging, and leveraging En- vision Plastics’ patented, post-extru- sion, and chemical-free devolatiliza- tion process to decontaminate and clean the recycled resin by removing odors, volatiles, and semi-volatiles from the resin so that it is safe to be used again in direct food contact. Sustainable Innovation in End-of-Life Award ExxonMobil is the winner of the end-of-life award for their Exxtend- TM Technology for Advanced Recy- cling. The technology breaks down difficult-to-mechanically-recycle plastic waste into feedstock used to create new virgin-quality plastic and other valuable products. People's Choice Award Solvay is the winner of the People’s Choice Award for their Amodel ® Bios PPA. Amodel ® is a partially bio- sourced long-chain PPA made from non-food competing biomass and which resin is produced using 100% renewable electricity. This sustain- able combination results in Solvay's Amodel ® Bios PPA having the lowest Global Warming Potential (GWP) of all PPA resins. Leadership in Sustainability Innovation Award The Leadership Award, the award for the company with the best over- all score across the three categories, was awarded to Amcor Rigid Pack- aging. Amcor submitted three inno- vations: QuantumTM Premium Light- weight Finish Technology: a two- step lightweighting technology that eliminates unnecessary material – more than 50% – of the weight in the finish of a PET bottle. PowerPost™Lightweighting Tech- nology: the most advanced light- weighting technology for hot-fill beverages. This technology delivers a bottle that is up to 30% lighter and can be made with up to 100% recy- cled material and is fully recyclable. PepsiCo 2.5 L PET Returnable, Reusable, and Refillable Bottle: a 100% recyclable and refillable 2.5 L polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle created in partnership with GEEP, PepsiCo’s exclusive bottler in Mexico. Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) www.plasticsindustry.org 2022 Emissions Targets for Sustainability-Linked Term Loan Achieved Orion Engineered Carbons announced the company has achieved its 2022 emissions targets in the U.S. and will receive a 10 basis point rate reduction in interest payments on its sustainability-linked term loan, saving approximately $650,000. When Orion agreed to the seven-year $650-million term loan in 2021, the company was one of the first to link the loan to environmental goals. Starting this year, a third-party firm audited the air emissions figures at Orion’s four plants in the U.S. and determined whether the company achieved its targets. If Orion meets its targets for all four years, the company could reduce its financing costs by a total of $2.6 million. “We’re pleased the first round of audits for our term loan were successful,” said Corning Painter, chief execu- tive officer. “Achieving the emissions reduction goals underscores our strong focus and commitment to sus- tainability. We are confident we will have continued success achieving the emissions targets for the loan, which will lead to significant interest savings.” Over the past five years, Orion has been upgrading its emissions control technology at all four of its U.S. plants. Three of these complex projects are completed, with the final one scheduled to be finished in 2023. The facilities are in Ivanhoe, La.; Belpre, Ohio; and the Texas cities of Orange and Borger. Orion Engineered Carbons orioncarbons.com