Plastpol 2014: SABIC Awarded Distinction for Certified Renewable Polyolefins Portfolio

Innovative responses to changing market trends in the electrical, lighting and mass transportation industries brought to SABIC a Gold Award at Poland’s largest international plastics and rubber processing exhibition last week.

Judges at Plastpol 2014 also awarded SABIC a distinction for its new certified renewable polyolefins portfolio and the company was recognised for having the best exhibition stand at the event.

Winning gold for its LEXAN™ EXL and FST copolymers and a distinction for the renewable polyolefins portfolio meant that SABIC was the only material supplier at the show to win both a Distinction and a Gold Award in the best materials category this year.

Suitable for housings in electrical and lighting applications, LEXAN EXL Copolymer delivers high heat and vibration resistance paired with unprecedented high flow, low toxicity and impact performance. LEXAN FST Copolymer is used in rail seating applications such as seat back shells and side covers. This polycarbonate copolymer already meets the new European standards for safety in the railway industry for the highest hazard level (HL3) for R5 under the forthcoming CEN/TS, 45445-2 regulation, two years before they come into force.

SABIC’s Country Leader for Poland, Piotr Kwiecien said: “Our remarkable accomplishment is the result of SABIC’s commitment in delivering differentiated solutions to our customers and building long-term relationships with them. We hope this recognition will encourage new customers to approach SABIC to power their commercial ambitions. We also hope these awards will further promote SABIC in the fast growing Polish economy where plastics is one of the leading branches.”

SABIC was also the recipient of the best exhibition stand Gold Award which brought the company’s ‘Chemistry That Matters™’ positioning to life, underscoring the company’s deep understanding of the latest trends and challenges that customers face amongst key industries present in Poland. SABIC showed through tangible examples how the company – in close collaboration with its customers – addresses industry needs, helping to customers to their competitive advantage and propel their industries forward. SABIC displayed solutions in: Electrical, Lighting, Electronics, Appliances, Water Management, Transportation, Automotive, Packaging, Healthcare and Consumer Goods.

SABIC was also honored with a Distinction Award for its renewable polyolefins, certified under the ISCC Plus certification scheme, which involves strict traceability and requires a chain of custody based on a mass balance system. The portfolio, which includes renewable polyethylenes (PE) and polypropylenes (PP), responds to the increasing demand for sustainable materials from SABIC’s customers. The renewable technology is applicable for all its polyolefins grades, potentially for all market applications, including the packaging industry where the largest volume of PE and PP is used.

Commenting on the importance of international companies to power Poland’s local economy, Dr. Henryk Zawistowski, founder of the Polish Plastics industry and member of the Plastpol Committee, said: “One of the reasons the plastics industry in Poland is growing with pace is because of the important role Global companies like SABIC play here. In Poland SABIC shares its know-how, helping our engineers to solve industry challenges and create innovative and high quality products.”

This is the 4th time SABIC has participated in Plastpol. In 2012, SABIC was the first company in 16 years of the exhibition to be awarded with two Gold Medals: one for the stand design and another for VALOX™ iQ resin, a PBT material made from chemically recycled PET bottles, which helps manufacturers reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 49% compared to PBT made from natural feedstock.