SABIC and Fibertex Personal Care Collaborate on Nonwoven Production

SABIC, a leading firm in the chemical industry, is collaborating with Fibertex Personal Care, one of the world's largest producers of spunbond nonwoven for the hygiene industry, to create a series of nonwoven fabrics using high-purity recycled plastics from SABIC's TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio and services. This will be the world's first nonwoven fabric series based on recycled plastics in the hygiene sector. The initiative is viewed by both partners as an exciting step toward a more sustainable supply chain and greater recyclability for nonwoven fabrics. The new nonwoven fabrics will be manufactured from SABIC's circular polypropylene using feedstock derived from previously used plastics, certified under the ISCC PLUS (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) system. The material is part of SABIC PURECARES™ polypropylene portfolio for Personal Hygiene applications, which was launched earlier this year. The certified circular PP material produced by SABIC is created by breaking down used mixed plastics into their molecular building blocks and then repolymerizing them to create virgin-like new plastics.

The new material can be used as a solution while meeting brand owners' purity and consumer safety requirements for hygiene industry applications.

[caption id="attachment_104867" align="aligncenter"] Mikael Staal Axelsen, Group CEO of Fibertex Personal Care and Innowo Print, and Mette Due Søgaard, QA and Sustainability Director at Fibertex Personal Care in Aalborg facility, examining ISCC Plus certified nonwovens. Image source: SABICPR451a[/caption]

SABIC applies a "mass balance" approach to polymers offered as part of the TRUCIRCLE portfolio and services encompassing design for recyclability, mechanically recycled products, certified circular products from raw material recycling of used plastics, and certified renewable products from bio-based feedstocks. The widely recognized ISCC PLUS certification verifies that mass balance accounting follows predefined and transparent rules. It also provides traceability across the supply chain from feedstock to final product. Fibertex Personal Care's recent acquisition of ISCC PLUS certification is the result of comprehensive experience and a focus on sustainability. Fibertex Personal Care will offer its customers certified circular nonwoven fabrics with its Comfort, Elite, Dual and Loft product range. These certified nonwoven fabrics can be used in subsequent processes without compromising the final product's convertibility, product properties or performance. Mikael Staal Axelsen, Group CEO of Fibertex Personal Care, stated: "This is an important step taken while supporting our sustainable strategy, in developing and expanding a supply chain for bio-based and circular polymers. SABIC's TRUCIRCLE initiative made this possible. We are proud to collaborate with SABIC in developing the first circular nonwovens for the hygiene market." Sergi Monros, Vice President for Performance Polymers and Industrial Solutions at SABIC Petrochemicals, said: "With Fibertex Personal Care's nonwoven expertise, brand owners can fully leverage and integrate our innovative TRUCIRCLE solutions and PURECARES product portfolio into hygiene applications. We are working together to find more solutions to advance circularity in the hygiene industry." The solution supports a mutual desire toward gradually replacing fossil sources and thus helps reduce carbon emissions. SABIC and Fibertex Personal Care look forward to building further relationships with the hygiene industry.