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Suntory Develops Environmentally Friendly PET Bottles using Bio-Based Materials

Suntory Develops Environmentally Friendly PET Bottles using Bio-Based Materials business, PET packaging, Processing and Packaging, Suntory, Sustainability Food and Beverage Business

Plastic bottles dominate the food and beverage industry, particularly those made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate). Unfortunately, PET is primarily derived from fossil hydrocarbons, contributing to environmental concerns. However, a groundbreaking collaboration between Finnish company Neste, Japanese oil and energy company ENEOS, Mitsubishi Corporation, and beverage giant Suntory is set to change the game.

Utilizing Neste’s renewable feedstock, Neste RE, the partners have devised a method to produce PET bottles from bio-based materials. ENEOS will employ bio-intermediates based on Neste RE to create bio-PX at its Mizushima Refinery in Okayama, Japan. The bio-PX will then be converted into PTA and eventually PET resin for Suntory’s PET bottle production. Mitsubishi Corporation will oversee the coordination between the value chain partners.

To ensure transparency and sustainability, a mass balancing approach will be employed to allocate the bio-based feedstock used in the PET bottles. Suntory aims to integrate these bottles into their product packaging by 2024.

Neste’s innovative technology allows them to transform waste and residue oils, as well as fats, into renewable fuels and raw materials for polymers. Their raw material sources include used cooking oil, vegetable oil processing waste, palm fatty acid distillate, spent bleaching earth oil, palm effluent sludge, tall oil, technical corn, and animal and fat fish waste.

Neste RE is considered a ‘drop-in’ feedstock, meaning it can seamlessly replace fossil feedstock in the production of various plastics without requiring any infrastructure modifications. While it has been successfully incorporated into value chains for other polymers, the collaboration with Suntory marks the first utilization of renewable Neste RE for PET production. This landmark project may pave the way for fully renewable PET bottles.

The adoption of renewable feedstock for PET bottles offers significant advantages to the food and beverage industry. Companies like McDonald’s in the US, Tchibo in Germany, and Japanese supermarkets are already benefiting from Neste’s renewable polymers, ensuring the properties, quality, and safety of their products while reducing their carbon footprint.

According to Neste’s life cycle assessment, using Neste RE as feedstock reduces the carbon footprint by more than 85% compared to fossil feedstock. This shift toward renewable feedstock promises decreased reliance on fossil resources and improved sustainability for PET bottles.

In conclusion, the collaboration between Neste, ENEOS, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Suntory represents a pioneering effort to decarbonize PET bottle production. By embracing bio-based materials and renewable feedstock, the food and beverage industry not only stays ahead of emerging trends but also champions innovation, sustainability, and consumer demand for environmentally friendly packaging.

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