#Recycling / Circular Economy

2023-01-19

SABIC reaffirms commitment to the circular carbon economy with a target of one million metric tons of TRUCIRCLE™ solutions annually by 2030

SABIC, a global leader in the chemicals industry, has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating the circular carbon economy during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos by unveiling its ambition to process one million metric tons (1000kt) of TRUCIRCLE™ solutions annually by 2030.

SABIC has reaffirmed commitment to accelerating the circular carbon economy by unveiling a target of one million metric tons of TRUCIRCLE™ solutions by 2030.

Target includes production from SABIC’s first commercial advanced recycling unit in Geleen, The Netherlands which is in the final stages of construction with commercial delivery of first circular polymers is expected in 2023.

As next step on the roadmap to meet this 2030 target, SABIC has also announced that it is exploring a new world-scale commercial advanced recycling investment.

SABIC used its reception hosted in the company’s iconic ICEhouse™ (Innovation for the Circular Economy) with global business figures and policymakers, to outline its new advances on its sustainability journey.

Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, SABIC CEO (A) said, “At SABIC, we are committed to helping provide our customers with more sustainable solutions, and our target of one million metric tons of TRUCIRCLE™ solutions by 2030 intends to help usher in the new circular economy.” He added, “Driving circularity for plastics will require a rapid transformation of the entire value chain, which is only possible through collective action, innovation, and collaboration across the industry and eco system of waste management. Therefore, we are working hard with downstream and upstream partners to accelerate this process.”

SABIC pioneered the industry back in Davos in 2019, when it announced plans to build a world-first small-scale commercial unit to produce certified circular polymers from the advanced recycling of used plastics. Since then, SABIC has been employing existing facilities to process smaller volumes of advanced recycled materials for brand owners and customers for a variety of applications already available in the market.

Construction of the company’s first commercial unit in Geleen, the Netherlands is now entering the final stages and deliveries of first circular polymers are expected in 2023.

As a next step on the roadmap to meet this 2030 target, SABIC will upscale volumes globally of advanced and mechanical recycling as well as bio-based materials. In that context, SABIC also announced that it is exploring a new world-scale commercial advanced recycling investment that would have a potential capacity to process around 200 kilotons (KT) of circular materials per year, as well as other projects such as a small-scale advanced recycling plant in Saudi Arabia.

Since 2020, SABIC’s certified circular polypropylene has been used in ice cream tubs from the Unilever’s A-brand ice cream brand, Magnum, the first to use recycled plastic in the ice cream industry. In another successful collaboration, SABIC teamed up with Mars and Landbell in an innovative closed-loop recycling project designed to close the loop on KIND® snack bar wrap based on certified circular polypropylene.

SABIC’s circular polymers and technologies are offered through TRUCIRCLE™, a set of solutions launched to help give value chain partners access to more sustainable materials. The TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio includes not only certified circular products, but also certified bio-based products, based on certified 2nd and 3rd generation renewable feedstock, and mechanical recycled polymers, ocean and ocean bound recycled solutions, as well as closed loop services and design for recyclability.

SABIC’s certified circular and certified renewable products are verified and authenticated in a mass balancing approach under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS scheme.

TRUCIRCLE™ solutions were showcased in Davos, Switzerland, at SABIC’s Innovation for the Circular Economy (ICEhouse™), a distinctive concept-structure designed to demonstrate new possibilities for building in closed-loop carbon systems that reduce energy and material waste.

Industrial scale meets verified governance: RE&UP is now B Corp™ certified

RE&UP, the circular-tech transforming global textile waste into high-volume Next-Gen materials, has officially become a Certified B Corporation™. The milestone establishes the industrial recycler among a select group of manufacturing infrastructure providers verified as meeting B Lab Standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Recover™ and Ünteks Group partner to scale recycled cotton in knitwear

Recover(TM), a global producer of low‐impact, high‐quality recycled cotton fiber, announces a new partnership with Ünteks Group, a vertically integrated textile manufacturer based in Turkey. The collaboration focuses on the development of circular knit fabrics and garments, combining Recover’s recycled cotton fiber with Ünteks Group’s integrated capabilities across knitting, dyeing, printing, and garment production.

ALADIN paves the way for circular and demand-driven textile production in Europe

Textile production can be organized sustainably by utilizing short supply chains and preventing overproduction. This can already be achieved today by intelligently connecting and efficiently utilizing existing infrastructure. At the same time, production becomes circular when innovative technologies and materials are used that enable high-quality recycling. The ALADIN research project, launched in May 2026 and co-funded with five million euros under the EU Horizon Europe program, is creating the conditions for this.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

Rieter sees Barmag integration on track as orders and sales rise

The first half of 2026 was shaped by the successful completion of the largest acquisition in Rieter’s history. The Man-Made Fiber Division enables entry into the growth segment of man-made fibers and sustainably strengthens Rieter’s market position in the Asia region. The expanded Group is now the world’s leading system supplier for the processing of natural and man-made fibers. In the first half of the year, initial cost savings in material costs and operating expenses have already been realized. The targeted synergies are expected to amount to at least CHF 20 million by the end of the 2028 financial year. Due to the completion of the acquisition on February 2, 2026, the first half of the year for the Man-Made Fiber Division only amounts to five months.