Borouge promotes plastics circular economy concept at PlastiCon 2018

ABU DHABI, 15th March, 2018 (WAM) -- Highlighting its contribution to the development of the region’s plastics conversion industry through providing innovative and sustainable plastics solutions, Borouge advocates the significant trend of adopting the plastics circular economy as an innovative driving force to ensure plastics sustainability. This message was significantly stressed by Ahmed Omar Abdulla, CEO of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge) and Chairman of the GPCA Plastics Committee, in his opening remarks at the 9th edition of the annual GPCA Plastic Conversion Conference (PlastiCon 2018) held in Dubai from 14th-15th March 2018 under the theme of "Sustainable Plastic Innovation: Closing the Loop". "More and more polymers producers in the region are strongly advocating commitment towards plastics circular economy which foresees that plastics do not end up in our oceans or landfills, but rather separates plastics from fossil fuels to create an effective after-use economy," said Borouge CEO. He stressed the importance of the event in getting together key leaders in the GCC plastics conversion industry as well as brand owners to join efforts and work on innovating solutions that greatly reduce the adverse environmental impacts of plastic waste. "At Borouge, we recognise the fact that we live on a planet with limited resources and delicate conditions, and therefore, beyond the sustainable management of our operations and delivering sustainable plastics solutions, we recently launched the Borouge Plastics Circular Economy Programme to address the end-of-life application of our products and accelerate the reuse and recycling of plastics globally." As Chairman of the GPCA Plastics Committee, Abdulla pointed out that the Committee conducted a Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) study in 2017 to determine the environmental footprint of polymer producers’ operations. Another GCC-wide survey on ‘Plastics Perception’ was also performed to define key trends to push the Committee’s advocacy messages in the right direction. The Committee also initiated a dialogue with the Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation (SASO) through which it succeeded in restricting enforcement of the harmful oxo-degradable standards. The GPCA Plastics Committee will be collaborating with the Gulf Standardisation Organisation to set unified standards for plastic pipes and packaging and advocating behavioural change towards littering through conducting environment campaigns. The Committee will be working with regional regulators to develop standards for enhanced waste management, conducting a study on recycling and promoting the benefits of plastics and the circular economy concept among various stakeholders.