Kraton, Sabic partner to supply ‘renewable’ styrenic elastomers in Europe

Houston, Texas – Kraton Corp. has partnered with petrochemicals supplier Sabic to produce ISCC PLUS certified renewable styrenic block copolymers (SBC) elastomers at the company's manufacturing facility in Berre, France.

The newly launched CirKular+ ReNew series has up to 70% certified renewable content and offers customers the opportunity to use the mass balance approach to produce renewable products, said Kraton 14 March.

The Houston-based supplier said it successfully produced CirKular ReNew series hydrogenated styrenic block copolymers (HSBC) at the Berre plant earlier this year using Sabic's renewable butadiene.

Part of Sabic’ Trucircle portfolio, the renewable butadiene is derived from animal-free and palm oil-free second-generation renewable feedstock, such as tall oil co-product from the wood pulping process in the paper industry.

According to the cradle-to-gate lifecycle assessment, from sourcing, the raw feedstock to producing the monomer, each kilogramme of the company's certified renewable butadiene reduces CO2 emissions by an average of 4kg compared to fossil-based virgin alternatives.

Additionally, each tonne of the butadiene also cuts fossil depletion by up to 80%, said Kraton statement.

"Kraton is excited to collaborate with Sabic in using certified renewable butadiene,” said SVP and polymer segment president Holger Jung.

The partnership, he said, can help reduce the carbon footprint of fossil-based HSBC made at the Berre plant by up to 65%.

International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification is a system that provides traceability of recycled and renewable-based materials across the supply chain and verifies that companies meet social and environmental standards.

Kraton’s styrenic block copolymers are a class of thermoplastic elastomers.

Made from butadiene, styrene and isoprene raw materials, SBC copolymers have a two-phase structure composed of hard polystyrene endblocks and soft rubber midlocks.

This helps make SBC compatible with a wide range of polyolefins, styrenics and resins.

It also provides the flexibility to handle varying temperatures, high impact resistance, tailored adhesion and property control, according to Kraton's website.