DMEA: SABIC announces low-carbon product portfolio

Saudi Basic Industries Co. (SABIC) announced on September 29 that it had launched its latest certified low-carbon product portfolio – an initiative designed to support the company’s customers and value chain in achieving sustainability goals when looking to purchase assets with low carbon footprints.

According to SABIC’s reveal, the first product included in the portfolio will be methanol produced by its own chemicals arm, with the commodity slated to contain lower carbon content than a traditional portfolio. While being better for the environment, the methanol will also be able to maintain high-quality product specifications.

The low-carbon methanol is currently being manufactured at SABIC’s joint ventures’ (JV) methanol production sites, and is expected to be used in marine fuels, furniture panels, resins for laminate flooring, and acrylic sheets.

Olivier Thorel, EVP Chemicals at SABIC, said regarding the announcement that “It is evident that the petrochemical industry plays a pivotal role in shaping a resilient and sustainable future. With the increasing demand for innovative materials and sustainable practices, the industry stands at the forefront of transformative trends towards carbon neutrality and a circular carbon economy”. He added that the company was “deeply committed to pursue efforts and explore solutions together with our value chain partners, to help meet our carbon neutrality ambition”.

Fahad Al Sherehy – VP Corporate Sustainability at SABIC – added to this, and noted that SABIC was

“Advancing technologies to support its value chains in carbon footprint reduction, including electrification, hydrogen combustion, renewable energy, as well as carbon capture, utilisation and storage”. He continued to say that high-concentrated Co2 produced as a by-product could be used as alternative feedstock to manufacture new products, and that the CCU project proposed by SABIC would be a “great enabler to reduce the embedded carbon emissions in the value chains of SABIC and its customers”.

If you’d like to read more about the key events shaping Africa and the Middle East’s downstream sectors, please click here for NewsBase’s Downstream Middle East & Africa Monitor.