Page 48 - Plastics news December 2023

BUSINESS NEWS

SABIC & CJ Cheiljedang collaborate on world-first ready-to-eat rice packaging
bowls made with 25% certified renewable PP
duce the new Hetbahn rice bowls in
E-Mart stores, one of the largest gro-
cery chains in South Korea.
Grace Kim, SVP of Global Packaging
R&D at CJ, adds: “We are excited to
launch our very first ISCC PLUS cer-
tified food packaging with renewable
PP from SABIC. It marks a signifi-
cant milestone in our ongoing efforts
to reduce the carbon footprint and
minimize the use of fossil based feed-
stock in our packaging. Maintaining
high standards of quality and safety is
a top priority for our company while
continuously delivering more envi-
ittard, The Netherlands, Novem- fers the same ease of processing and ronmentally friendly and sustainable
Sber 28, 2023 - SABIC, a global high end-use quality as competitive packaging. We hope our initiative will
leader in the chemicals industry, has all-virgin polymers.” inspire the global market by demon-
announced that a food-contact grade The Hetbahn brand, which is one of strating the possibilities of renewable
of its TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio of cer- the top brands in cooked rice and circular materials and creating the
tified renewable polypropylene (PP) now expanding its product portfo- momentum toward achieving a circu-
resins is used in the production of lio to include porridge, frozen rice, lar economy.”
Hetbahn instant white rice packag- cooked rice with soup etc., was origi- SABIC’s renewable polymers are de-
ing bowls by CJ CheilJedang, a South nally launched in 1996 and means rived from bio-based, second-genera-
Korea-based global food company. freshly harvested and cooked rice and tion sources not competing with food
The rigid bowls are the first of their has changed consumers’ perception or feed production. They are manu-
kind using certified renewable PP in a of Korean rice meal culture. The rice factured in line with the mass balance
ready-to-eat-rice packaging in Asia Pa- grain is polished in a strict raw mate- accounting recommendations of the
cific and align with CJ’s strong ‘Nature rial process, cooked the same day and International Sustainability & Carbon
to Nature’ sustainability roadmap. packed in a sterile environment so Certification (ISCC) PLUS program,

Mohammed Al-Zahrani, Vice Presi- that the delicious taste of the rice can which defines a set of transparent
dent of SABIC’s Polypropylene Busi- be preserved. rules for tracking the material flow
ness, comments: “Food brands The rice bowls are manufactured by across complex supply chains from
around the world are increasingly sheet extrusion and subsequent ther- the feedstock to final applications.
looking for materials that will help moforming. The PP polymer from The resulting certified renewable
them reduce their carbon footprint SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio has a compounds form part of SABIC’s
without compromising the perfor- certified renewable content of 25% TRUCIRCLE portfolio and services,
mance, convenience and food safe- and provides the critical attributes of which also comprise design for recy-
ty of their packaging. We are very dimensional stability and heat resist- clability, mechanically recycled prod-
pleased about this opportunity to ance required when microwaving the ucts, certified circular polymers and
demonstrate SABIC’s vast expertise rice directly in the cup. In addition to closed loop initiatives to recycle plas-
in sustainable PP resins for rigid food this, the used bowls can be returned tic back into high quality applications
containers. Our certified renewable into the rigid PP recycling stream to and help prevent valuable used plas-
grade from our TRUCIRCLE portfolio recover their material value and en- tics from becoming waste.
used in CJ’s Hetbahn rice bowls meet able a more circular packaging indus-
the food-contact regulations, and of-
try. CJ has already started to intro-
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