Russia's Sibur hikes 2030 recycling, sustainable plastics capacity goals

Moscow-based Sibur, Russia's largest producer of polymers and synthetic rubber, has hiked its targets for the recycling of waste plastics and the use of bio-based and low-carbon polymers as part of its updated sustainability strategy to 2030.

Sibur plans to increase its volume of recycled plastics to 600,000 mt/year by the end of the decade, it said in a recent announcement on its website. It will also raise its output of low-carbon products and products that contain secondary or bio-based raw materials to 400,000 mt/year over the same period, it said.

As part of its increased recycling focus, Sibur said it intends by 2029 to "develop, implement and scale up technologies for the chemical processing of mixed plastics."

The increase in recycled polymer volumes will be achieved through its own projects and others carried out with partners, it said. The company did not provide an investment amount or individual project specifics.

Sibur announced its updated five-year sustainable development strategy on June 3, according to its website.

During its previous five-year sustainability program, Sibur said its plants cut the use of water between 2022-24 by 3.2 million cu m, exceeding the firm's target by 6%. The new program is targeting a further reduction in water consumption of 10% by 2030, it said.

In May, Sibur released its full-year integrated report for 2024, in which it said it had formed a new division for the development of recycling and sustainable solutions and had developed 13 new grades of recycled polyolefins.

Sustainable polymer volumes

A total of 111,000 mt of polymers were last year sent for processing as part of the company's own projects and its projects with partners, it said. Sibur produced 287,000 mt of low-carbon, recycled or bio-based products in 2024, according to the company's May statement.

In late 2021, Sibur announced it was targeting the recycling of at least 100,000 mt/year of waste plastics as part of its own investment projects and joint projects with partners. By 2030, the company planned to produce at least 250,000 mt/year of low-carbon products and products containing recycled or bio-feedstock, it said at that time.

Amur project

In April, Sibur said its flagship Amur Gas Chemical Complex in far eastern Russia was 75% complete. The company is developing the project in collaboration with China's Sinopec, which has a 40% stake in the complex.

Once completed, Amur GCC will have the capacity to produce a combined 2.7 million mt/year of polyethylene and polypropylene. The complex will also include a 2.3 million mt/year steam cracker. Construction work on the project began in 2020, with production set to start in early 2027.

The complex is planned to mostly export its volumes to China and markets in Southeast Asia, the company has previously said.