Cutting Plastic – Mondi Develops New Sustainable Packaging for Kao’s Salon Hair Cosmetic Brand Goldwell

• Mondi creates new recyclable, lightweight packaging for leading Japanese consumer goods company Kao and its salon hair cosmetic brand Goldwell.
• Professional stylist hair lightening products now packed in an innovative stand-up pouch, reducing plastic by 80% compared to the former packaging.
  Pouch replaces rigid plastic box and helps Kao work towards its Zero Waste goals as part of its overall sustainability strategy.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has partnered with Japanese consumer goods manufacturer Kao to create a recyclable, lightweight packaging solution for its Goldwell hair lightening products. The new stand-up pouch reduces plastic usage without compromising on strength and durability and thus supports Kao and its salon business in their efforts to reduce their environmental footprint and to help salons run their businesses more sustainably.

Goldwell is a salon-quality brand of Kao Salon Division, the fourth biggest professional hair care business in the world. Its broad offering of hair care, styling and colour products also includes a range of hair lightening products created for in salon use. These were previously packed in rigid plastic containers, however working with Mondi and along its EcoSolutions approach, Kao is reducing the overall amount of plastic in individual packs by 80%.

Mondi’s innovative solution packs the powdered products in flexible, re-closable stand-up pouches that are made of mono-material, meaning they are recyclable. The pouch is provided to the user together with paper instructions inside a carton box, enabling the pouch to be stacked when stored, and results in a lower carbon footprint compared to the previous packaging alternative.

The empty pouches can be folded flat to ensure efficient transport to the factory. When filled, they provide optimum protection for the product, preventing contact with moisture or vapour coming in, which would render it unusable. The packaging is completely safe as chemicals cannot diffuse through the tightly sealed packs. For convenience, the packaging is also easy to reclose with a recyclable top slider and temper-evident membrane.

Iris Ross, Regional Sales Consumer Flexibles, Mondi, says: “The solution we developed with Kao contains a chemical-based product that is particularly sensitive, so we needed to consider safety and quality at all times. The new packs are completely secure during shipment when filled and easy to transport. Kao is passionate about making the right changes for a more sustainable world while ensuring the high quality and user-friendliness of its products, to deliver the best customer experience. It was a pleasure to work with the Kao team on creating this product.”

Elmar Mussenbrock, Director Sustainability, Kao Salon Division adds: “Sustainable packaging is one of the key elements of our ESG strategy and reducing plastic is our first priority – what hasn’t been produced cannot cause any harm. With its great expertise and professional approach, Mondi has enabled us to deliver a much more progressive pack for our Goldwell LightDimensions SilkLift range, reducing the carbon footprint of the packaging by 65% compared to its former box.”

D.R. Joseph Reveals Auto-Gauge Air Ring with Innovative Approach on Lower Lip Control and Component Modularity

The TDK-500 is a new automatic gauge control air ring introduced by D.R. Joseph Inc, world leaders in Internal Bubble Cooling and air flow control systems. The new air ring will be available to blown film producers in Fall 2022 which is designed to be used with the company’s forthcoming InstaGaugeTM auto thickness control system which also will be introduced this fall. The unique design
equips the TDK-500 with a host of innovative features which boost versatility and provide a faster control response with higher resolution than current offerings

The TDK-500 air ring is a result of five years of development which drew from DR Joseph’s 30+ years of internal bubble cooling (IBC) controls design experience, 30+ years of air ring design experience from Techflow Design of Mississauga, Canada, and 30+ years thickness measurement experience from Kündig Control Systems of Ruti, Switzerland. The combined experiences created innovations which focused on making an auto gauge control air ring easier to install, easier to operate efficiently and much easier to modify and maintain. Further, all of these same innovations will be adapted to conventional air rings later next year.

The new dual-lip TDK-500 has four important innovations while retaining the high performance expected from dual lip air rings:

1) Instant setting lower lip adjustment technology (patent pending Techflow) which completely eliminates the traditional threaded mechanism. Operators can find and secure the perfect lower lip adjustment in a matter of seconds. The adjustment includes a scaled indicator for SOP purposes. This intuitive design eliminates the intimidation factor of managing bubble stability because operators can quickly “test” the entire setting range within 10 seconds. Anyone who has struggled with the endless rotating of the lower lip adjustment can appreciate the instant nature of this setting.
2) Affecting change to the film for consistent gauge control is made more difficult when high performance is also a requirement. The TDK-500 isolates the primary lip cooling from the gauge control adjustments made using the secondary lip cooling air streams. This keeps the bubble locked consistently to the forming cone for all conditions. The innovated part of this design is the constrained zone design (patent pending Techflow). The air flow from each control zone constrained in an independent channel that extends to just before the secondary lip exit. This eliminates zone cross mixing and provides a more direct and effective control response to the film.
3) Instant access for cleaning the lower lip exit technology (patent pending DRJ) allows the operator to release the locking feature without tools and safely lift the secondary and
cooling collar assembly to a designed cleaning position within the air ring in less than 60 seconds. IBC hardware need not be removed. Optional weight reduction is available for easier lifting is available from a 3D printed polycarbonate cooling collar (patent pending). Additional 3D printed components are still under development.
4) Instant lip set swapping technology (patent pending DRJ) allows the primary and secondary lips to be removed and replaced without tools and without lifting the entire air
ring off of the die. A time and cost saving measure which expands the versatility of the air ring. For instance, an operator can change the lower lip geometry to provide a custom air flow impingement angle or to handle lower blow-up ratios within 5 minutes (excluding the time required to remove the IBC exhaust stack).

Again, the TDK-500 is a high performance dual-lip design established from years of experience for the widest range of materials including ultra-low melt strength materials.

Repsol choose BUSS LSHC Technology to Produce High-purity XLPE Cable Compounds

First-of-its-kind plant for the production of EHV AC & DC cable insulation materials to be built in Tarragona,

The new, patented LSHC™ process (“Linear Short Hyper Clean“) has been developed by Buss AG in close cooperation with P&M Cable Consulting LLC, a Swiss based consulting
firm in the field of cable compounds. It offers access to, among others, various High Voltage (HV) and Extra High Voltage (EHV) insulation materials, exhibiting superior product quality and process efficiency compared to the well-known soaking technology. XLPE grades for both, alternating (AC) or direct current (DC) cable applications are readily produced with this innovative and flexible process.

The LSHC technology relies on direct peroxide injection and gentle compounding of a newly developed additive cocktail by using BUSS state-of-the-art COMPEO co-kneader series, allowing at the same time for significantly reduced capital expenses and clean room requirements. Further advantages are the compact plant design without high-rise soaking tower and improved cleanliness and physical-electrical properties of the produced materials.

Buss AG is proud to work with Repsol on the realization of this first-of-its-kind industrial production plant and will eagerly continue the excellent collaboration towards the scheduled
start-up in mid-2024. The LSHC technology is available to BUSS customers world-wide on the basis of a competitive licensing model. A corresponding pilot plant for production of HV EHV materials will be available around the end of this year at the BUSS Campus in Pratteln, Switzerland.

BOREALIS INTRODUCES BORVIDA, A PORTFOLIO OF CIRCULAR BASE CHEMICALS, TO FEED A FUTURE THAT IS CIRCULAR IN BOTH PLASTIC AND IN CARBON

• The Borvida portfolio introduces sustainable base chemicals to Borealis’ range of product offering
• The range will initially be based on non-food waste biomass, and chemically-recycled waste; in the future it will also draw from atmospheric carbon capture
• The traceability of the content will be based on Mass Balance, which is ISCC PLUS certified
• This is the next step in an ambitious sustainability journey, which will see Borealis move away from traditional fossil-based feed Borealis is strengthening its EverMinds™ circular product offering with Borvida™, a range of sustainable base chemicals.

The Borvida portfolio will offer base chemicals or cracker products (such as ethylene, propylene, butene and phenol) with ISCC Plus-certified sustainable content from Borealis sites in Finland, Sweden and Belgium. The move is part of Borealis’ broader commitment to a Future-Positive Revolution, in which the unrivalled benefits of base chemicals and polymers can be enjoyed at minimal impact to the planet.

“We are committed to helping to solve the climate crisis through offering credible and sustainable solutions,” explains Thomas Van De Velde, Borealis Senior Vice President Hydrocarbons & Energy. “With the Borvida portfolio, we’re enabling our customers to respond to the growing market demand for sustainably-produced base chemicals without compromising on quality or efficiency. With launching our Borvida portfolio, we are continuously striving towards reinventing essentials for sustainable living.”
The portfolio will initially comprise Borvida B, from non-food waste biomass, and Borvida C, from chemically-recycled waste. In the future, the range will evolve to include Borvida A, sourced from atmospheric carbon capture. Borvida is complementary and is the building block to Bornewables™, a portfolio of polyolefins based on renewably-sourced second generation feedstocks, and Borcycle™, which offers circular polyolefins produced from mechanically- and chemically-recycled plastic waste.

Borealis produces a wide range of base chemicals for use in numerous industries based on various feedstock, such as naphtha, butane, propane and ethane. Through its olefin units (steam cracker and propane dehydrogenation), it converts these into the building blocks of the chemical industry: ethylene, propylene and C4 hydrocarbons (butylenes, ethyl tertiary-butyl ether (ETBE) and butadiene), and C5-6 hydrocarbons (pygas, phenol) among others.

The basis of the Borvida portfolio is Mass Balance, a Chain of Custody model that enables sustainable content to be tracked, traced, and verified through the entire value chain, offering sustainability-assured products from feedstock to end product. Using this model, circular alternatives can be offered in a cost-effective and environmentally-conscious way, which can be scaled up quickly without compromising on quality or efficiency.

Borvida can be used for a wide range of different polymer and chemical applications, also beyond polyolefins (PO). Non-PO polymers, such as polycarbonates, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), super absorbant polymer (SAP) and other chemicals, are utilised for various end applications including coatings, plasticizers, adhesives, automotive, electronics, lubricants, detergents, appliances and sports equipment.

Together with key strategic partners, including Neste and Covestro, Borealis strives to provide a long-term solution in order to allow value-chain partners to meet their sustainability goals. Borvida will enable our customers to increase the sustainability of their products, keeping them ahead of forthcoming legislative changes, and meeting their customers’ demands for climate-conscious products.

Introduced on a smaller scale in early 2020, early renewable base chemicals customers include Covestro. “The use of alternative sustainable raw materials is one important pillar of our strategic ambition to become fully circular”, comments Frank Dörner, Managing Director Covestro Procurement Services GmbH & Co. KG. “The new product line is a good example for joint solutions, another strategic pillar, in order to establish new and reliable supply chains creating benefits for our customers.”

“Circularity is the key to more sustainable polymers and chemicals,” says Jeroen Verhoeven, Vice President Value Chain Development at Neste Renewable Polymers and Chemicals. “The strategic cooperation for more circular solutions between Borealis and Neste has been a success story in the past already. Now we are looking forward to adding another chapter to the book and supporting the industry with this new portfolio of more sustainable base chemicals.”

New Anti-fouling additive for the PP and PE polymerisation process – Palsgaard introduces Einar 981 to replace existing regulatory compromised chemistry

Einar 981 is an unquestionably safe and efficient alternative that has worldwide regulatory approval. With its origin in food-grade renewable raw materials, it is the ideal candidate to maintain the highest possible efficiency and eliminate any regulatory concerns.

Palsgaard has announced the introduction of an efficient new plant-based, food-grade anti-fouling additive for the polypropylene and polyethylene polymerisation process. The new product, Einar® 981, has been developed to remove severe concerns about the ethoxylated amine chemistry currently used. Einar® 981 will officially be introduced to the market at K 2022 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Einar® 981 is supplied as a clear and easily pumpable liquid for use in existing dosing systems. It eliminates static build-up during polymerisation and prevents fouling of the reactor wall, thus helping PP and PE producers maintain the cooling efficiency of the reactor. Building on Palsgaard’s proven chemistry of renewable anti-static polymer additives, it provides high anti-fouling efficiency at low concentration (100-300 ppm) without any negative effects on catalyst mileage, productivity or final polymer performance.

The active compound of Einar 981 is a polyglycerol ester (PGE) blend of fatty acids derived from RSPO[1] certified sustainable palm oil. As a non-toxic and food-contact approved anti-fouling additive, the product offers a drop-in regulatory compliant solution to replace incumbent ethoxylated amines and can also be used as a more efficient alternative to sorbitan monooleates. This makes it an ideal process additive in the polymerisation of PP and PE materials for sensitive applications, including e.g. medical devices and baby food containers.

“Polyolefin producers are under growing pressure from converters and brand owners to abandon the use of ethoxylated amines in their polymerisation processes and switch to safer products without any regulatory concerns,” says Ulrik Aunskjær, Global Business Director, Bio Specialty Additives at Palsgaard. “Einar® 981 is our answer to meet this challenge with a highly sustainable, renewable and food-grade anti-fouling process aid that demonstrates our expertise in customer and market focused renewable polymer additives.”

Einar 981 is produced in CO2-neutral facilities and will be commercially available worldwide.

Visit Palsgaard at K 2022 in Düsseldorf from October 19 through 26 in Hall 7, Level 1, Booth D20 to meet the company’s product and market specialists and discuss the sustainable benefits and superior performance of Einar® plant-based polymer additives.

SABIC to highlight BLUEHERO electrification initiative and advanced material solutions for batteries and energy storage at The Battery Show Europe 2022

 SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, will showcase, for the first time, its strategic BLUEHERO™ electrification initiative at The Battery Show Europe 2022 (Booth 8-F10) from June 28 to 30 in Stuttgart, Germany, while also highlighting its comprehensive materials offering and expertise for next-generation batteries and energy storage applications. The recently announced BLUEHERO initiative underscores SABIC’s commitment to help support the shift to electric power, with the delivery of automotive polymer materials, solutions and capabilities for the enhancement of EV battery systems as its first area of focus.

“The global transition toward clean energy and decarbonization is driving innovation in batteries at an ever faster pace and the battery industry needs new materials with the right property profiles to implement more sustainable, safer and efficient energy storage concepts,” said Bob Maughon, Executive Vice President, Sustainability, Technology & Innovation and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer at SABIC. “We are firmly committed to support manufacturers with dedicated R&D, focused application engineering, regulatory expertise, and one of the most comprehensive portfolios of high-performance thermoplastics available today so they can make the advances needed to help the world accelerate the shift to clean electricity.”

SABIC’s exhibit at The Battery Show Europe 2022 addresses the need for new battery designs with enhanced features across all levels, from structural integrity to operating safety. Applications, test samples and key visuals on display have been prepared to illustrate and demonstrate the potential overall cost and performance benefits of plastic-intensive solutions in terms of energy density, flame retardancy, electrical safety, thermal insulation, chemical resistance, lightweighting, functional integration, impact resistance and dimensional stability. The company’s offering is targeted at all types of battery components for electric vehicles (EV), E-bikes, marine and industrial vehicles (forklifts, caterpillars) as well as EV charging infrastructure and energy storage systems (ESS).

Close-up on fire safety
SABIC has done extensive research on the performance of EV batteries exposed to external fires and internal runaway situations, a critical focus area of automakers today. At this year’s Battery Show Europe, SABIC’s team will feature its work in this space and share test results that demonstrate the potential of thermoplastic to meet high temperature and pressure loads.

As an example, SABIC will highlight results from a stringent test based on the new UL standard 2596, which is even more demanding and difficult for plastic battery pack materials to pass. It combines pressure, ablative force, heat, and fire into one repeated test, in which 25 battery cells (type 18650) are packed into a steel box and then two cells are heated to the point of thermal runaway. The pressure from the explosion can be higher than the requirements of several OEMs. A 4 mm sheet of STAMAX  flame retardant resin, a long glass fiber polypropylene material, passed this test six times without any perforation.

One of the highlights at SABIC’s booth is an installation that brings fire testing to the trade show floor using high-tech visual special effects. The Virtual Flame Test Lab allows visitors to execute a simulated flame test on material samples of aluminum and structural thermoplastics. Each step of the test is analyzed and explained while the fire virtually burns the samples.

Highest CTI Performance Level Category for Higher-voltage Batteries
To help meet the EV manufacturers’ stringent demands of higher-voltage batteries, SABIC’s Specialties business will introduce its new NORYL™ NHP8000VT3 resin at the show. This high-performance, polyphenylene ether (PPO)-based resin achieves the highest comparative tracking index performance level category (CTI PLC0), provides ultra-thin-wall extrusion and thermoforming capability, and meets the UL94 V0 standard at 0.25 mm with non-brominated, non-chlorinated flame retardance. NORYL NHP8000VT3 resin is well suited for insulation film used in EV battery modules to help improve protection against short circuits and fire propagation.

The insulation film and thermoformed part made of NORYL NHP8000VT3 will be displayed at SABIC’s booth.

Delivering additional value
Beyond fire safety, SABIC’s non-halogenated FR resins provide greater design flexibility, significant weight savings – an important feature for supporting the improved driving ranges of EVs – and recyclability to help support the circularity of battery materials.

In addition, the company offers special materials with low temperature ductility to deliver enhanced performance of batteries operated in extremely cold climate, and is also developing hybrid solutions to address additional stringent requirements, such as impact strength and stiffness, over a broad range of temperatures from -30°C to +80°C.

See, experience and discuss
Once again, SABIC’s Petrochemicals and Specialties businesses will exhibit side-by-side at The Battery Show Europe, demonstrating how their complementing material portfolios and application development support can help manufacturers reduce system cost and speed the time-to-market of safer and more energy-efficient batteries.

Featured exhibits and solutions from the Petrochemicals portfolio at the show will include, in addition to the Virtual Flame Test Lab simulator:

• A SABIC Battery Explorer installation, providing a virtual dive into a battery pack design using the latest thermoplastic technologies. Visitors will be able to take the battery pack model apart, reassemble it and zoom in to see its specific design features
• Honda’s Silver Edison Award winning EV battery pack cover that meets stringent fire safety requirements while eliminating thermal blankets and reducing weight by 40% vs a similar design in metal
• An all-plastic prototype EV battery tray structure with integrated cooling channels and crash protection elements, for up to 12% weight savings compared to one in an existing aluminum EV battery pack
• SABIC’s Everflow joint venture for next-generation vanadium redox flow (VRF) long-duration batteries using SABIC’s polymer grades for key components such as the battery stack, tank and piping, developed and tested with SABIC’s expert team
• An innovative energy storage system concept based on second-life EV batteries
• An EV charging connector made from VALOX™ FR resin
• Laser marked VALOX resin CTI600V, demo plaques in orange color, for High Voltage connectors
  Featured exhibits and solutions from SABIC’s Specialties business will include:
• NORYL NHP8000VT3 resin for ultra-thin battery insulation films with CTI PLC0 and UL94 V0 rating at 0,25 mm
• ELCRES™ HTV150A dielectric film for traction inverters, onboard chargers and electrical compressors of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full battery-electric vehicles, offering stable electric properties throughout a wide temperature range (-40°C to +150°C) and frequencies (up to 100 kHz) at only 3 µm film thickness
• Lightweight laminated sandwich panel with honeycomb structures for exceptional acoustic, vibration and thermal insulation as well as superior dimensional stability at reduced weight vs. metals or thermosets
• Next generation battery pack prototype well-suited for module enclosures and covers, energy absorbers, cell spacers and cell frames, etc.
• Battery side protection molded in NORYL GTX9600 resin for e-coating temperature resistance and robust energy absorption at service temperatures
• Lightweight battery pack applications in NORYL product for marine battery pack, with excellent dimensional stability, flame retardancy, chemical and hydrolytic resistance
• Lightweight and crash resistant battery pack housing molded in LNP™ copolymers for E-bicycles
  Visitors are encouraged to explore these exhibits at Booth 8-F10 and discuss the potential of SABIC’s portfolio of materials and services for their next-generation battery products with the company’s on-site team.

Visitors are encouraged to explore these exhibits at Booth 8-F10 and discuss the potential of SABIC’s portfolio of materials and services for their next-generation battery products with the company’s on-site team.

Solvay wins Boeing Supplier of the Year Award

Solvay has received a “Supplier of the Year” award from The Boeing Company. Solvay was selected alongside nine other companies for distinguished performance in working with Boeing. The supply chain visibility category recognized Solvay’s support of Boeing’s digital thread strategy by enabling real-time visibility across the supply chain.

This year’s award recipients represent an elite group among more than 13,000 active Boeing suppliers in 48 countries around the world. The selection was based on stringent performance criteria for quality performance, delivery performance, cost, environmental initiatives, customer service and technical expertise.

“For more than 50 years, Solvay and Boeing have been collaborating to solve complex problems through technical innovation, unconventional supply chain solutions, and commitment to shared core values,” said Carmelo Lo Faro, President, Solvay Materials Segment. “This award is testament to both our longstanding partnership built on delivery, innovation and collaboration and to the value we create together as we navigate the challenging times faced by the industry. Solvay is honored to have been selected for this prestigious award and we look forward to continuing to do our best to serve Boeing.”

Solvay’s composite materials business is a global provider of advanced lightweighting material solutions that enable our customers to design, develop and efficiently manufacture high-quality, high-performance composite structures for aerospace, automotive and other demanding industries. In the aero industry, these materials contribute to lowering CO2 emissions by lightweighting the aircraft to reduce their fuel consumption. In addition, Solvay’s materials offer greater design freedom, thereby improving aerodynamics.