SABIC’s Circular PP with Ocean-Bound Plastic Powers Sustainable Food Vacuum System Containers

SABIC, a global leader in the chemicals industry, has announced that B!POD, a business unit of SAES Getters, has selected its ocean-bound plastic (OBP)-based polypropylene (PP) resin for their food vacuum system containers. This partnership has led to the use of SABIC® PP 576P, a high-gloss grade from the company’s TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio of circular resins. The resin used in the containers contains approximately 50% OBP feedstock, marking a significant step toward sustainability.

Khaled Al-Jalawi, Global Director of Circular Economy Business at SABIC, emphasized the importance of this collaboration in improving food preservation through a powerful vacuum system that employs containers made from OBP-based SABIC PP. "Replacing standard virgin PP with our OBP material in these containers represents a major shift towards greater sustainability," he said, highlighting the effort to transform the plastics economy toward circularity.

The OBP in SABIC’s material is sourced from abandoned plastic collected within 50 kilometers of shorelines. This plastic waste is then converted into plastic feedstock through advanced recycling processes. The resulting PP resin is supplied in its natural color to C.E.L. (Costruzioni Elettromeccaniche Legnaghesi), an Italian company specializing in thermoplastic resin processing. C.E.L. then adds masterbatches to produce B!POD containers in a variety of sizes and custom colors. The containers are fully recyclable at the end of their lifecycle in existing PP material streams.

Ginevra della Porta, Chief Innovation Officer at SAES Getters and co-founder of B!POD, noted that this innovation embraces sustainability from concept to end-use. With advanced vacuum technology to reduce food waste, the containers made from SABIC’s OBP-based material help prevent plastic from polluting oceans. Additionally, the containers come in colors symbolizing endangered species, such as orangutan orange and whale grey, to raise consumer awareness. Research conducted by the company has shown that reusable rigid containers for food preservation can potentially reduce the use of more than 300 non-recyclable plastic bags per person annually, avoiding the emission of 30 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere.

The OBP-based SABIC PP 576P resin is food-contact approved and free of PFAS and BPA. It is easy to process and provides dimensionally stable parts with low warpage, good impact strength, and high gloss. This ocean-bound plastic solution is fully certified through the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS chain of custody. The sustainable B!POD containers made with SABIC’s OBP-based PP have been launched across the European Union, Switzerland, and the UK by mid-2024, with plans for expansion into Asian markets in 2025.