Pilot Project Monitors Bio-Based Raw Materials In Chemical Industry

April 4, 2017
AkzoNobel, ABT and EY join forces to encourage more transparent, sustainable chemistry.

Project partners AkzoNobel, Advanced Biochemical (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (ABT) and EY launch a new online tool that can reportedly track the use of bio-based raw materials in products. According to AkzoNobel, it will be the first tool to use e-certification to track bio-based content along the value chain.

Many chemicals can be made either from fossil feedstock or bio-based raw materials, such as vegetable oils or sugars, but it is difficult to verify how much of each has been used. The new tool aims to solve this problem by verifying exactly how much of a product is made from bio-based raw materials. This will make it easier for producers and consumers to choose more sustainable products and move towards a more circular economy, according to AkzoNobel.

Bio-based raw materials are certified at the start of the supply chain. Companies can then transfer these via an online platform, which automatically keeps track of the bio-based content of any products made from them. This approach negates the need for separate, external certification further down the supply chain, giving producers quick insight into the bio-based content of their products.

Epicerol will be the first chemical to be tracked throughout the supply chain. The bio-based epichlorohydrin (ECH) is produced by ABT and is already used in AkzoNobel's sustainable epoxy coatings. Following the pilot phase, the partners are looking to expand the tool to other chemicals, such as dimethylether, which is used as a propellant in deodorant cans.

For more information, visit: www.akzonobel.com

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