Sustainable Plastics - September/October 2022 - 21

There is more to being a
sustainable solutions provider
than providing chemically
or mechanically recycled,
or otherwise sustainably
advantaged materials. "
Walter van het Hof
Trinseo
treats and processes these
materials using mechanical
and chemical recycling methods,
transforming them into
high-quality recyclate for a wide
range of high-end applications.
It's this type of collaboration
that the End Plastics Pollution
resolution aims to promote, as a
means of keeping plastics in the
economy for as long as possible
rather than ending up as environmental
pollutants. It's also an
example of the type of collaboration
happening in the sector.
The next material challenge
for the plastics industry is securing
sustainable feedstock for
the future of material circularity.
It's not enough for businesses
to simply off er products that
can be recycled - we need to
make sure they are being recycled
- which means working
collaboratively throughout the
value chain to find ways to reclaim
materials and then close
any gaps preventing full circularity.
Accessing sustainable
feedstock is critical if we are to
continue to make strides and
accelerate our progress within
the field of sustainability for the
years to come.
Setting clear targets
Every business by now,
should be aware of the sustainability
targets that have been
set by governments within the
wider framework of initiatives
like the United Nation's 2030
Sustainable Development
Goals. However, to hit these
targets, it is also important for
plastics businesses to set their
own climate change reversal
targets.
Trinseo's climate change
targets, set down in its 2030
Sustainability Goals, include
reducing Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse
gas emission (GHG)
intensity by 35% by 2035 and
working with our supply chain
to establish a management
system for Scope 3 emissions
by 2025. This initiative is ongoing,
and in 2021 we already reduced
GHG emission intensity
by 9% with an overall reduction
of GHG emissions by 5%.
Increasing our share of electricity
from non-fossil resources
such as biomass, wind, solar, and
hydroelectric sources up from
the current 22% is another goal.
We are actively pursuing new
technologies and methods to accelerate
toward this objective.
A sustainability culture
Above all else, Trinseo's primary
message at this year's
K-Show, is that, for optimal results,
climate change reversal
and sustainability must be ingrained
into an organization, as
a topic that is viewed broadly
and holistically. Business leaders
need to start thinking into
the future and make decisions
today that will help change the
industry tomorrow. The industry
is on a journey - and the right
one - to realize the goals of the
End Plastic Pollution resolution.
If you consider where polystyrene
was a few years ago,
the material was close to being
banned permanently, since people
believed it was unsustainable
and unrecyclable. In contrast,
it is now one of the most
circular plastics in the market
and we have proven time and
again that it can be recycled
back into a virgin monomer. A
change of mindset and direct
action is all it takes to reach our
shared sustainability goals.
Walter van het Hof, Industry
Aff airs, Public Policies,
Sustainability Reporting Leader,
Trinseo Global Sustainability
September/October 2022
21
QUALITY
PROTECTS.
The e-mobility trend is gaining momentum,
particularly in view of issues such as resource
preservation and climate protection.
With
our innovative materials, we are already contributing
to the ongoing process of making
motor vehicles more lightweight and therefore
eco-friendly. Our high-tech Durethan®
thermoplastics and Tepex®
and
Pocan®
polyamide
composite sheets open up new possibilities
in structural engineering and design. With
our flame-retardant product grades, we offer
custom solutions specifically for plugs, connectors,
mounting elements and housings in
electronic components. In this way, quality from
LANXESS is helping to shape future mobility.
new-mobility.lanxess.com
Please visit us at:
Hall 6/C76
http://new-mobility.lanxess.com
Sustainable Plastics - September/October 2022

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