Ineos, UPM Biofuels announce renewable polymer raw materials production

New York — Ineos and UPM Biofuels have reached a deal to supply renewable raw materials to produce bio-based polymers in Europe, the companies said in a statement Tuesday.

The renewable raw materials will be supplied to Ineos' Cologne plant in Germany in order to produce polymers suitable for plastic food packaging, medical applications and piping.

The raw material will be UPM Biofuel's BioVerno, which is produced from the residue from wood pulp production. This raw material will be used by Ineos to create material's such as BIOVYNTM, which is used to make bio-based polyvinyl chloride, called Biovyn.

Announced at the K-Fair in Dusseldorf in October, Biovyn will be manufactured at Inovyn's 320,000 mt/year Rheinberg site, and will receive the bio-feedstock from Ineos' Cologne steam cracker via pipeline.

Biovyn is said to be the first commercially available PVC made without using fossil fuels and will follow strict technical, social and environmental standards set out by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials.

Inovyn is an Ineos company.

The RSB has now certified the entire production process, from converting the wood-based residue through to creating the final polymer, according to the statement.

"UPM BioVerno products now help to reduce climate and environmental impacts in an even broader range of applications. INEOS's and UPM Biofuels' commitment to RSB certification creates a strong common ground to build on," according to Maiju Helin, head of Sustainability and Market Development at UPM Biofuels.