Page 43 - Plastics News February 2025
P. 43
BUSINESS NEWS
which were validated in 2021. To date, Clariant validation of its updated near-term GHG emis-
has achieved a 29% reduction in its scope 1 & 2 sion reduction targets through the SBTi. Clariant
emissions from the 2019 baseline and scope 3.1 is committing to reduce scope 1 & 2 emissions
emissions (purchased goods and services) have 46.9% (previously 40%) and its scope 3 emis-
decreased by 19% by end 2023. The company sions 27.5% (previously 14%) by 2030 from a
is currently overdelivering against its validated 2019 base year.
2030 GHG emissions reduction targets, assum- Source – pressreleasefinder.com
ing a linear trend line. To show its commitment
to decarbonization, Clariant is currently awaiting
An Opportunity by Design
do Cabos project to pull waste plastic from the
environment and repurpose it into new items.
Its primary source of such waste is the salmon-
farming detritus in the Patagonia. On vacation
in the region years ago, it was one of Comber-
plast’s founders whose encounters with aban-
doned ropes and nets amongst the grandeur of
the fjords and channels became an impetus to
do something. In this issue, you can read about
Comberplast’s latest project partnering with one
of the world’s largest producers of lithium to
create reusable plastic pallets from that recov-
t the very moment that intensifying pub-
lic pressure pushes the plastics industry ered fishing waste, as well as the lithium firm’s
Ato address waste in the environment, in-house plastic scrap.
the sector is stepping up to reclaim the valuable For people like Orrego, that work in the plastics
materials it’s created. industry seeing everyday items fabricated from
the highly engineered materials we know dis-
“A mistake by design” — that ’s how Belt- carded as trash does indeed seem like a “mis-
rán Orrego sees any plastic waste, particularly
if that plastic waste has escaped into the envi- take.” Early in my career, I sat in on a presentation
discussing the various breakthroughs achieved
ronment. This instinctive reaction to litter is most
visceral when it’s in nature, where seeing dis- in the package design for a “sports drink” bot-
tle. The bottle in question featured a series of
carded man-made objects, whether it’s a water
bottle or abandoned car, reflects a jarring hu- raised panels. Each distinct panel and its various
facets, which I had thought to simply be deco-
man encroachment on the natural world.
rative flourishes, were in fact the patented out-
Orrego works with Chilean injection molder and come of hours of engineering work that enabled
recycler Comberplast, which launched its Atan- the plastic container to withstand the hot-filling
February 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 43
