— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

Ducor Petrochemicals (Rotterdam, Netherlands; www.ducorchem.com) and Blue Circle Olefins (Wageningen, Netherlands; www.bluecircle-olefins.com) have signed an agreement to collaborate on the production and co-marketing of segregated bio-polypropylene and carbon-recycled polypropylene. The companies said the partnership is intended to support the development of a circular supply chain for PP used in sectors such as healthcare, life sciences, automotive, electrical appliances, packaging, engineering products, and household goods.

In a statement, Blue Circle Olefins CEO Ralph Koekkoek said the arrangement would contribute to the company’s methanol-to-olefins (MTO) project and broaden the range of polypropylene grades available. Ducor Petrochemicals CEO Hanno Schouten said the combination of the two firms’ operations would enable the supply of customised polypropylene materials and support their target of producing fully circular grades by 2030.

Related: Ducor declares force majeure for polypropylene from Netherlands

Ducor Petrochemicals produces polypropylene for various applications, while Blue Circle Olefins is developing a 20,000 t/y MTO facility in Rotterdam. According to the companies, the plant is to convert green methanol made from plastics waste or biomass residues into biobased and carbon-recycled olefins. The companies added that the approach can cut lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions by more than 80% compared with conventional oil-based polyolefins.