SABIC Claims Top Honors at the Chemical Week Sustainability Awards 2021

SABIC’s outstanding commitment to innovation and collaboration was internationally recognized today as it claimed top honors at the Chemical Week’s Sustainability Awards 2021.

The company was named the winner of the Best Recycling/Circularity Initiative and was also shortlisted in the Best Sustainable Feedstock category. The awards, now in their second year, recognize sustainability excellence among global chemical producers. Winners are selected by a panel of 12 industry experts.

Yousef Al-Benyan, SABIC Vice Chair and CEO, said: “We are proud to be recognized as a global leader in sustainability. The world is moving more urgently towards carbon neutrality, and SABIC is working hard to accelerate a circular economy where plastic products are designed, produced, used and recycled more sustainably. 

“The journey to sustainability must be a shared one. The chemicals industry is uniquely positioned to positively transform industries and society. SABIC is using its position as a sustainability and ESG pioneer to collaborate with more stakeholders, create greater value and maximize our contribution to global challenges.”

SABIC’s award-winning initiative united strategic partners across the value chain in a unique closed-loop pilot designed to upcycle flexible plastic packaging, returned through in-store consumer collection, into circular polymers for virgin food packaging.

In their comments, the judges praised SABIC’s collaborative approach remarking “This multi-stakeholder partnership should be a blueprint for other organizations seeking to change the global recycling system."

SABIC is also currently upscaling circular polymer production and will bring the world’s first commercial advanced recycling plant on-stream in 2022 at Geleen in The Netherlands. 

SABIC’s award win follows its recently announced carbon neutrality strategy which reaffirms the company’s commitment to the Paris Agreement goals and the continuous pursuit of solutions that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

A range of landmark developments have already positioned SABIC at the cutting edge of the Circular Carbon Economy, including renewable energy deployment and its operation of the world’s largest CO2 capture and purification plant in Jubail. 

Earlier this year the company confirmed new collaborations aimed at developing and demonstrating solutions for electrically heated steam cracker furnaces; and establishing the world’s first large-scale chemical site to operate on 100 per cent renewable power at Cartagena Spain.