Japan: PET Bottles Produced with Bio-Based Materials
Finland-based company Neste has entered a cooperation with Suntory, ENEOS and Mitsubishi Corporation to enable the production of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) resin made with renewable “Neste RE” on a commercial scale.
This material is Neste’s feedstock for polymers production, made entirely from bio-based raw materials such as waste and residues (for example, used cooking oil) to replace fossil feedstock in the value chain. “Japanese beverage company Suntory will utilize the renewable PET resin to produce bottles for its products in 2024,” Neste informed in August this year. A new partner for Neste in Japan, ENEOS would use bio-intermediates based on “Neste RE” to produce bio-PX (Bio-Paraxylene) at its Mizushima Refinery in Okayama, Japan. The bio-PX will be converted to PTA (Purified Terephthalic Acid) and subsequently to PET resin for Suntory to manufacture their PET bottles. According to the information, Mitsubishi Corporation will be coordinating the collaboration between the value chain partners.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2023, Page 36)
