Thanks to technological advancement and the global connectedness it has brought about, development and diffusion of innovations takes much less time. Transfer of information and knowledge has similarly grown both in scale and speed. The same can be observed in the business world, where new trends are now emerging and adopted by organizations at an accelerated speed.

From trends to fundamental factors of business

   Several years ago, digital transformation, which prompted widespread adoption of digital technology, circular economy, which seeks to maximize resource efficiency through circulation to minimize the use of new resources and reduce waste that could end up in the environment, and climate emergency, which is making a strong comeback, were merely new trends. However, they have now become key considerations for organizations that pursue sustainable growth. These trends, coupled with government policy and evolving customer needs, have prompted brand owners and related parties in the supply chain to make adjustments, which have produced tangible results seen today.

SCG GREEN POLYMER™: Adapting to environmental challenges

   To address the changing needs of the supply chain brought about by these trends and to reduce the environmental impacts to actively create a better world for posterity, SCG GREEN POLYMER™ has been developed as a brand that offers eco-friendly plastic solutions, marking an important milestone and is set to revolutionize the industry. With this brand, SCG will collaborate with brand owners and related parties to mutually achieve targets for waste management and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. SCG GREEN POLYMER™ includes solutions that address four major challenges as follows:

REDUCE: Enhance Material for Eco-efficiency

   SCG GREEN POLYMER™ offers solutions that reduce resource consumption and maximize resource efficiency through SMX™ This high-quality plastic resin production technology yields special HDPE that strikes the right balance between high strength and stiffness, meaning that less material is required to manufacture a product with the same level of strength. Thanks to these qualities, the HDPE lends itself various types of products, from lightweight CSD caps and closures to high-impact films for industrial use, all the way to SCG Green Choice-certified extra-strong large chemical tanks. More importantly, SCG GREEN POLYMER™ also reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing process compared to regular plastic resins.

RECYCLABLE: Design for Recyclability

   SCG GREEN POLYMER™ provides solutions that can transform the ubiquitous but notorious difficult to recycle multi-material packaging into mono-material PE or PP packaging that can be efficiently recycled as well as boasts functional and aesthetic properties that meet the needs of brand owners.

RECYCLE: Mechanical & Advanced Recycling

   SCG GREEN POLYMER™ also provides solutions that enable the recycling of used plastics generated by households, thus reducing waste and the consumption of new resources.

   Sorted and cleaned plastics are processed into high-quality PCR resins which not only have outstanding qualities that meet user needs but also help brand owners accomplish their intent of using recycled materials. These PCR resins are also certified to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), which certifies the source of raw materials for the production of recycled plastic resins. To develop and expand recycled plastic markets to other regions, SCG Chemicals has collaborated with both local and global partners with expertise in recycling, such as Teamplas, Thailand’s giant manufacturer of recycled plastic pellets with over 30 years of experience; Europe’s leading recycled plastic company SUEZ; and Portugal’s largest plastic recycler Sirplaste.

   On the other hand, plastics that have not been properly separated can go through a process called advanced recycling, also known as chemicals recycling, to become recycled feedstock for the production of plastic resins that have properties comparable to virgin plastics and have achieved accreditation in ISCC PLUS, one of the certification schemes of the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), making SCG Chemicals the first Thai company to obtained this certification.

   Furthermore, digital technology has been introduced for the collection of used plastics for reuse and recycling, such as the mobile application KoomKah, which helps waste banks improve efficiency through data management, and ReadyPlastic, an online platform for trading industrial plastic and bidding production scrap.

RENEWABLE: Bioplastics

   SCG GREEN POLYMER™ also offers bio-compostable plastic solutions. Thanks to SCG Chemicals’ proprietary formulation, they can be readily extruded into film products for household and industrial use, thereby increasing convenience and molding efficiency. In addition, they possess a full range of properties that meet user needs and have been certified by the world’s leading Germany-based institution DIN CERTCO to be bio-compostable.

   Another solution for reducing the use of quickly depleting fossil-based resources in plastic production is to turn to resources that can be replaced through cultivation such as bio-based resources, which also release less greenhouse gases and thus help reduce the impact of global warming. To this end, SCG Chemicals has collaborated with Braskem, the world’s leading bioplastic company based in Brazil, to study the feasibility of jointly establishing a bioplastic manufacturing facility in Thailand.

   Adaptability and openness to innovations and new global trends are two key factors that can decide the fate of a business in the long term. As such, it is vital to regularly ask yourself what you can do to keep up with the times and rapidly evolving technology as well as anticipate possible scenarios in the future so that you can advance your business without getting lost.

For more information on SCG GREEN POLYMER™, please contact greenpolymer@scg.com.