Versalis To Acquire Remaining 60% Stake In Fin Project To Become The Italian Leader In The Production Of Special Polymers

Versalis has announced that it has exercised the call option to buy the remaining 60% of the shares of the Marche region-based industrial group Fin project, an Italian leader in the compounding sector and in the production of ultralight products, in order to raise its stake to 100%.

The transaction, which will be formally completed with closing expected in the fourth quarter of 2021, follows the initial acquisition of a 40% stake in the company in July 2020 from VEI Capital and confirms Versalis’ strategy to become the Italian leader in the high performance formulated polymers sector.

Fin project is the leading operator in Italy in the production of cross-linkable and thermoplastic compounds for industrial uses and in the molding of products, in particular for the footwear sector, and of products in the ultralight expanded materials marketed under the XL EXTRALIGHT brand which, in collaboration with some of the most important brands, are intended for the consumer end market.

The acquisition aims to create an all-Italian leading platform, leveraging the synergy between Versalis’ technological and industrial leadership in the chemical industry and Fin project’s positioning on the market of high added value applications, with a business that is resilient to the volatility of the chemical industry scenario. Full ownership will allow Eni’s chemical company to develop innovative technological solutions for important brands in the sectors of fashion, design, footwear, and industrial applications such as cables, pipes, renewable energy, construction, and automotive, with significant growth prospects at an international level using a globally consolidated commercial network.

Versalis, the Italian producer of polymers, extends its commercial portfolio with more specialized products and with an important sustainability component, as they are also derived from renewable or recycled raw materials and ISCC PLUS certified, in line with Eni’s strategy focused on decarbonization, circular economy, and sustainability.

Versalis CEO Adriano Alfani commented: “The acquisition of the total share package of Fin project is a strategic step to further accelerate Versalis’ path towards portfolio specialization and access to new markets. The combination of our expertise and Fin project’s will allow us to create an integrated technology platform and grow rapidly in the joint development of products and solutions of great value. The transaction is subject to the authorization of the competent Antitrust Authorities.

For more details: www.versalis.eni.com

Solvay Adds New Thermoplastic Composite Capacity In The United States

The installation completion of its new thermoplastic composites (TPC) manufacturing facility at its Greenville, South Carolina site. At full production volume, the new line will add more than 30 positions at the 27,000-square-foot facility.

The project represents a breakthrough in Solvay’s efforts to industrialize its TPC capacity. A key driver for the world-class facility is increasing demand from energy companies, supported by increasing aerospace and automotive demand. The new product line will have the ability to manufacture unidirectional composite tape from a range of high-performance polymers including PVDF, PPS and PEEK.

“The TPC solutions that will be manufactured in our Greenville facility will help our energy, aerospace and automotive customers achieve better environmental responsibility by making cars and planes lighter, thereby reducing emissions,” said Mike Finelli, president of Solvay’s growth platforms. “Our new capacity and differentiated technologies will allow us to expand with our customers as TPCs gain momentum in a growing number of applications and play an important role in the energy transition.”

The Greenville facility is part of a series of recent strategic investments in line with the Group’s commitment to building the infrastructure required for the growing TPC market. Other recent commitments to the industry include Solvay’s addition of capacity for TPC tape in Anaheim (CA), two new R&I centers in Brussels (BE) and Alpharetta (GA), and Solvay’s membership in the TPRC consortium.

“Solvay’s expansion is yet another example of the unparalleled success companies are finding in South Carolina. We thank Solvay for their continued partnership with our state and look forward to their future growth in Greenville County and beyond,” said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.

Upon commercialization of the Greenville facility, Solvay will be uniquely positioned with proprietary technologies enabling the company to position the right product for the right application. Solvay’s TPC portfolio includes Evolite, which offers reliability and lower total cost of ownership in markets such as energy and automotive, and APC tapes, which offer significant weight and cost advantages in aerospace and urban air mobility applications.

For more details: www.solvay.com.

The World’s First Eco-Friendly Steel All Set For Delivery

Ssab Special Steels objects to further strengthen its leading position in high-strength steels as well as in related value-added services. The market for high-strength steels has to a large extent been driven by Ssab. Since 2000, Ssab’s shipments have increased by an average of around 8% a year, outperforming the general steel market. Structural growth is generated by manufacturers’ needs for higher productivity and better sustainability performance in machinery and equipment.

Ssab has now produced the world’s first fossil-free steel and delivered it to a customer. The trial delivery is an important step on the way to a completely fossil-free value chain for iron- and steelmaking and a milestone in the HYBRIT partnership between Ssab, Lkab and Vattenfall.

In July, SSAB Oxelösund rolled the first steel produced using HYBRIT technology, i.e., reduced by 100% fossil-free hydrogen instead of coal and coke, with good results. The steel is now being delivered to the first customer, the Volvo Group.

“The first fossil-free steel in the world is not only a breakthrough for Ssab, it represents proof that it’s possible to make the transition and significantly reduce the global carbon footprint of the steel industry. We hope that this will inspire others to also want to speed up the green transition,” says Martin Lindqvist, President and CEO of Ssab.

“Industry and especially the steel industry create large emissions but are also an important part of the solution. To drive the transition and become the world’s first fossil-free welfare state, collaboration between business, universities and the public sector is crucial. The work done by Ssab, Lkab and Vattenfall within the framework of HYBRIT drives the development of the entire industry and is an international model”, says Minister of Trade and Industry of Sweden Ibrahim Baylan.

“It’s a crucial milestone and an important step towards creating a completely fossil-free value chain from mine to finished steel. We’ve now shown together that it’s possible, and the journey continues. By industrializing this technology in the future and making the transition to the production of sponge iron on an industrial scale, we will enable the steel industry to make the transition. This is the greatest thing we can do together for the climate,” says Jan Moström, President and CEO of Lkab. “It’s very pleasing that the HYBRIT partnership is once more taking an important step forward and that Ssab can now produce the first fossil-free steel and deliver to the customer. This shows how partnerships and collaboration can contribute to reducing emissions and building competitiveness for industries. Electrification is contributing to making fossil-free living possible within one generation,” says Anna Borg, President and CEO of Vattenfall.

Ssab, Lkab and Vattenfall created HYBRIT, Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology, in 2016, with the aim of developing a technology for fossil-free iron- and steelmaking. In June 2021, the three companies were able to showcase the world’s first hydrogen-reduced sponge iron produced at HYBRIT’s pilot plant in Luleå. This first sponge iron has since been used to produce the first steel made with this breakthrough technology.

The goal is to deliver fossil-free steel to the market and demonstrate the technology on an industrial scale as early as 2026. Using HYBRIT technology, Ssab has the potential to reduce Sweden’s total carbon dioxide emissions by approximately ten per cent and Finland’s by approximately seven per cent.

“We’ll be converting to electric arc furnace in Oxelösund as early as 2025. This is the first production site within Ssab to make the transition, and it means that we’ll already be cutting large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions then. This is a major responsibility, one that we’re proud to shoulder, and it brings great opportunities to the region,” says Johnny Sjöström, Head of Ssab Special Steels Division.

Grow shipments by 23% from 1.1 million tons in 2020 to 1.6 million during 2023

Ssab Services is to increase revenue to SEK 4.5 billion during 2023 through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions

For more details: www.ssab.com

Partnership Ensures Bottle-To-Bottle Recycling For Green PET Beverage Bottles

The Dutch recycler Morssinkhof-Rymoplast and the Danish deposit system Dansk Retursystem have exercised their long-lasting collaboration to a new level by extending the existing bottle-to-bottle loop for clear and light blue bottles to include green PET beverage bottles in line with the principle of a circular economy. Due to increasing demand for recycled PET-materials among the European beverage industry ‘ bottle-to-bottle recycling’ is growing in the EU – particularly for the clear and light blue beverage bottles, whereas colored PET bottles are still mainly recycled into non-food applications and therefore no longer available in the food packaging loop. The market for recycled PET-bottle (R-PET) grade is projected to continue to grow. Especially because PET beverage bottles on average must contain 25 percent of recycled plastic in 2025 according to the single-use plastic directive.

The directive also states that 77 percent of the plastic beverage bottles sold on the European market must be separately collected and recycled. For several years Dansk Retursystem has supplied Morssinkhof-Rymoplast with bales of high-quality PET bottles from the Danish market to be recycled in a closed-loop into new bottles. ‘We continuously strive to strengthen our common goal of ensuring that as many of the collected bottles as possible find use in the production of new bottles for beverages. Morssinkhof-Rymoplast is therefore happy to announce that we now have managed to establish a bottle-to-bottle loop for not only the clear bottles but also for all the green bottles that we receive and recycle from the Danish market’, CEO Stefan Morssinkhof says The closed-loop for green beverage bottles will contribute positively to the quantities of R-PET material for beverages in EU and to the possibility of meeting the obligations set out in the directive. In Denmark, all plastic beverage bottles for beers, soft drinks, mineral water, juice, iced tea, and alcoholic soft drinks are covered by the national deposit system operated by Dansk Retursystem that last year achieved a historically high return rate. ’96 percent of plastic bottles with deposits were returned by the Danish consumers in 2020.

The vast majority was clear and slightly light blue PET bottles, while the green PET bottles dominated the share of colored bottles. Since we work hard to achieve bottle-to-bottle recycling for as many items as possible, we appreciate our joint effort in this field’, says Vice president and Director of circular economy at Dansk Retursystem Heidi Schütt Larsen. The next step in the collaboration between the two companies is to ensure bottle-to-bottle recycling for the dark blue bottles. 

For more details: www.morssinkhofplastics.nl

A Trio Joint Pet Recycling Operations In Romania By Alpla, Ecohelp And Upt

The three partners contribute different areas of expertise to the joint venture. While Alpla acts as a recycling specialist and a preform and bottle manufacturer, Ecohelp supplies base material in the form of PET flakes that will go through an extrusion process to produce high-grade rPET granules. Upt in turn co-owns the rPET Upcycling facility Cumapol Emmen in The Netherlands and specialises in trading plastics and recycled material. The entire amount being invested in the plant and the associated building and infrastructure comes to roughly €7.5 million. The plant expansion will create 15 new jobs at the site in Targu Mures. The recycled PET will come from PET bottles collected from household waste and will be used to manufacture new bottles.

The Alpla Group, the global packaging solutions and recycling specialist, is investing in the construction of a recycling plant in Targu Mures, Romania as part of a joint venture with its partners. The plastic granulate recycled there in the future will come from PET collected from household waste and will be used to manufacture new PET bottles.

By establishing a joint venture called PET Recycling Team Targu Mures, Alpla and companies Ecohelp and Upt are investing in the construction of a recycling plant for PET.

By creating the planned PET Recycling Team Targu Mures joint venture, Alpla and companies Ecohelp SRL (Romania) and United Polymer Trading AG (Switzerland) are each investing equally in the installation of an extrusion line to recycle post-consumer PET bottles at the Romanian partner’s site. They aim to produce 15,000 tonnes of food-grade post-consumer recycled PET (rPET) each year. The rPET granulate will then be used to manufacture new preforms and bottles, to strengthen the local materials cycle within the Central and South-Eastern Europe region.

For more details: www.alpla.com/en