SABIC Showcases Market-Facing and Sustainability Solutions at Feiplastic 2019

At Feiplastic 2019 in Brazil (booth D43), SABIC – a global leader in diversified chemicals – is featuring a range of thermoplastic and polymer technologies from its portfolio to support customers in Latin America as they respond to changing demands in their industries. 

The company’s state-of-the-art booth reflects SABIC’s market-focused and customer-dedicated approach and showcase solutions for automotive, building & construction (including pipe & utilities), consumer goods, electrical & electronics, health and personal care, and packaging.

“We are constantly looking ahead and over the horizon to understand the challenges, forces and megatrends impacting our customers,” said Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, Executive Vice President for SABIC’s Petrochemicals business. “This makes it possible for us to better understand their needs. We are also better equipped to effectively collaborate across the value chain and develop the differentiated solutions our customers need to meet emerging requirements and seize new opportunities.”

Strengthening Positon to Serve Customers in Latin America

Al-Fageeh also spoke to SABIC’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its position in Latin America as a long-term dependable solutions provider, noting: “We are serving an ever-expanding base of customers in this region and are committed to nurturing and building these relationships and delivering with dependability for the long term.” 

Since Feiplastic 2017, SABIC has invested in infrastructure to help improve lead times and service efficiency for customers. This includes building new silos at its manufacturing facility in Campinas to improve supply performance. In addition, SABIC launched a new distribution center and logistical hub in Diadema, São Paulo, which has helped the company address growing demand for its polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) materials.

SABIC and its joint venture partner, Exxon Mobil, has also advanced its Gulf Coast Growth Ventures project, which proposes building an ethane steam cracker that would feed a monoethylene glycol unit and two PE units. The project is still in the permitting phase.

Improved access to SABIC’s PE and PP materials is timely, with the company anticipating future growth with customers in Latin America, especially in segments like automotive, packaging and pipe & utilities. Indeed, plastics demand is expected to grow as populations and middle-class incomes in the region rise over the coming decade.

Firsts for SABIC at Feiplastic

Feiplastic 2019 marks the first time for SABIC to highlight its dedicated caps and closures industry segment with material solutions that may be used in optimized, lighter caps, closures, pumps and dispensing systems that are easy to process, helping with improved functionality, security of content, and cost effectiveness.

SABIC is also featuring for the first time of its material technologies for nonwovens for lighter personal hygiene applications that are more efficient, comfortable and sustainable. These solutions include Phthalate-free SABIC® PP polymers for nonwovens, which can help support challenges our customers face such as compliance with regulations, increased functionality and cost efficiency.

For building & construction customers, SABIC is presenting STADECK™ heavy-duty panels. Made from glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin, the panels are lightweight, strong and durable. When compared to wooden planks, the panels can be a more sustainable option due to their potential for recyclability and potential weight savings, which can be up to 60 percent.

For automotive customers, SABIC is highlighting its new portfolio of SABIC® polypropylene (PP) compounds that deliver a soft feel combined with excellent scratch performance in unpainted, low-gloss automotive interior components. The new compounds offer the luxurious haptics and finishes that today’s consumers demand – even in lower-priced vehicles. SABIC is also demonstrating a wide range of applications across the entire vehicle that benefit from use of its engineering thermoplastic (ETP) and polyolefin materials – all of which can replace conventional materials like glass, metals and thermoset resin to support lightweighting and potential reduction in emissions.

For electrical and electronics applications, SABIC is also highlighting a range of flame retardant (FR) thermoplastics, which can meet global FR regulations.

Making Sustainability Attainable

SABIC has a dedicated display in the booth to highlight its commitment to sustainability and to circular solutions. Featured is the company’s recent groundbreaking production of certified circular polymers, manufactured using a feedstock from mixed plastic waste otherwise destined for incineration or landfill. These PE and PP materials can help SABIC’s customers address consumer demand for more sustainable products and contribute to closing the loop on plastic waste. 

“SABIC is the industry leader in the scale-up high quality recycling processes for chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste to the original polymer,” said Al-Fageeh. “We understand very well the pressures on society, the environment and our customers. For us, it is a must to do our part and help make sustainability attainable for the industries we serve and the regions in which we operate.”