Extrusion International 6-2022-USA

30 Extrusion International 6/2022 30 INDUSTRY NEWS ISCC PLUS Certification for Various Grades fromMultiple Plants Earned  Orion Engineered Carbons be- came the first to achieve International Sustainability and Carbon Certifica - tions (ISCC Plus) for multiple carbon black grades made from different feedstocks at plants in two regions of the world. The ISCC PLUS certification involved rigorous audits of Orion’s plants and processes that confirmed the com - pany’s compliance with high sustain- ability requirements. It also verified the transparency and traceability of sustainable raw materials in the com- pany’s value chain at three plants producing the concerned grades of carbon black. “The globally recognized certifica - tion further strengthens Orion’s posi- tion as the leader in our industry for developing sustainable solutions for our tire, mechanical rubber goods and specialty customers,” said Corn - ing Painter, Orion’s CEO. “Earning the certification is a major achievement for the commercialization of our portfo- lio of sustainable products. ISCC PLUS documents to our customers that Ori- on continues to make progress with innovation focused on sustainability.” The ISCC PLUS certified products in - clude the ECORAX® Circular grades produced in Borger, Texas, and Bel- pre, Ohio, using pyrolysis oils from end-of-life tires. Also covered is ECO- RAX® Nature 200, produced in Jaslo, Poland, and based on bio-circular feedstocks. Significantly, the certified products are similar to conventional grades and are “drop-ins” that require minimal reformulation in the complex rubber compounds used by our major tire manufacturing customers. “No other company is making mul- tiple grades of sustainable carbon black with different feedstocks at multiple plants across the world,” Painter added. “Introducing a broad range of products that can be used in highly demanding tire applications using such materials is a critical step to enable the transition to a circular economy for tires.” A decade ago, Orion was the first major producer to develop and com- mercialize carbon black made from renewable feedstocks, such as indus- trial-grade vegetable oils or other oils derived from waste and residues of biological origin from agriculture or forestry. Orion is also the only carbon black producer in the BlackCycle initiative, an EU-funded project focused on de- veloping the production of circular carbon black. The ISCC PLUS certification is grant - ed by the ISCC Association, which is based in Cologne, Germany, and pro- motes the sustainable production of biomass, circular and bio-based mate- rials and renewables. Orion Engineered Carbons orioncarbons.com Master Collaboration Agreement Signed  CJ Biomaterials, a division of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang and lead- ing producer of polyhydroxyalkano- ate (PHA), and NatureWorks, an ad - vanced materials company that is the world’s leading producer of polylactic acid (PLA), have signed a Master Col - laboration Agreement (MCA) that calls for the two organizations to collaborate on the development of sustainable materials solutions based on CJ Biomaterials’ PHACT™ Biode- gradable Polymers and NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ biopolymers. The two com- panies will develop high-performance biopolymer solutions that will replace fossil fuel-based plastics in applica- tions ranging from compostable food packaging and food serviceware to personal care, films, and other end products.

The initial focus of this joint agreement will be to develop bio- based solutions that create new per- formance attributes for compostable rigid and flexible food packaging and food serviceware. The new solutions developed will also aim to speed up biodegradation to introduce more “after-use” options consistent with a circular economy model. The focus on compostable food packaging and serviceware will create more solutions for keeping methane-generating food scraps out of landfills, which are the third largest source of meth- ane emissions globally, according to World Bank. Using compostable food packaging and serviceware, we can divert more food scraps to composting where they become part of a nutrient-rich, soil amendment that improves soil health through in- creased biodiversity and sequestered carbon content.

 CJ Biomaterials and NatureWorks plan to expand their re- lationship beyond cooperative prod- uct development for packaging to create new applications in the films and nonwoven markets. For these additional applications, the two com- panies will enter into strategic supply agreements to support development efforts. 

“We are excited to build on our strong relationship with Nature- Works to tackle the challenge of plas- tic waste,” says Seung-Jin Lee, Head of Biomaterials business from CJ Chei- lJedang. “Plastic pollution is a major global concern, and to successfully address this problem, it is critical to introduce new solutions that will have a real impact by improving the bio- degradability and compostability of Corning Painter