EXPO SPECIAL – SEPT 2016
Total Polymers plant in Antwerp (Belgium)
TOTAL, PIONEERING
SUSTAINABLE POLYMER
TECHNOLOGY
Total is at the forefront of sustainable polymer technologies and a global market leader in this field. Packaging
Europe talked to Xavier Bontemps, the Senior Vice President for Total’s Polymers Business Unit, about the upcoming
K-Fair, its latest sustainable polymer products and its move into new markets.
Total Lumicene Supertough® for weight reduction in packaging
Total Lumicene® grass yarn for synthetic turf,
Excell-Cap® brand polymers for the caps and
a water-saving approach to sport field construction
closures market for weight reduction
“T
he K-Fair is an excellent opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our
customers,” declared Mr Bontemps. “While technical developments and
achievements are clearly important in our business, we recognise that our
customers and their success is the most critical factor to our own success. Our regional
and local presence allows us to work closely with them to understand their specific needs
and, in partnership with them, to build solutions over time that add value.
“Our distinct offer is that we can provide
solutions which are tailor-made for each
customer’s needs. Our customers and their
success is a critical factor to our success.”
Total’s polymers business unit employs specialist teams in three zones – America, Asia/
Middle East and Europe – to increase their proximity to key global markets and customers.
Its industrial production facilities are located in China, France, Belgium, Spain, the US,
South Korea and Qatar. The company has a state-of-the-art R&D centre in Feluy, Belgium
and supporting facilities in Europe, the US and China, as well as 20 R&D partnerships with
universities and promising young companies across the three continents.
With the cumulative experience of its founding heritage companies, the current
polymers business is backed by six decades of expertise in the field and is a significant
entity within Total’s Refining & Chemicals branch.
Driving a sustainable polymers business forward
Xavier Bontemps, Senior Vice President for
Total’s Polymers Business Unit
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Total Polymers plant in Feluy (Belgium)
Total’s three families of polymers – polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS) and
polypropylene (PP) – cover more than 60 per cent of the world market for plastics. Its
extensive portfolio serves the vast majority of world markets and applications.
“Historically,” stated Xavier Bontemps, “Total has been a pioneer in the world of
polymers with novel patents and developments in key areas of expertise, such as catalysis,
processes and products. Today, we leverage and apply those developments through our
own production and product portfolio as well as through licenses of select PE and PS
technologies, including multi-stage processes and metallocene catalysts.”
Mr Bontemps explained: “Our polymers business is backed by a fully integrated
industrial Group. This is a significant advantage compared to our competitors. We are the
world’s fourth-ranked oil and gas company, a global leader in solar energy and oriented
towards the future.”
Examples of successful innovations
Total’s new generation of metallocene polyolefins is defined by its Lumicene® brand, an
advanced polymer developed by the company to provide next-generation performance
for both PE and PP grades in a variety of applications. Total’s Lumicene Supertough®
brand of PE products have been developed to allow customers to produce films which
are 25 per cent thinner and have lower energy consumption, yet are just as strong as
existing thicker films. Total has also developed a number of new products for the caps
and closures market; with the Excell-Cap® brand, manufacturers can produce caps that
require substantially less raw material. For the insulation market, Total developed TotalExcell-R®, an enhanced grey Expandable Polystyrene (EPS) that provides exceptional
thermal resistance (‘R’ values).
“We are one of the few majors to continue with polystyrene (PS) developments and
innovations that are applied on an industrial scale,” acknowledged Mr Bontemps. “As a
result, we are able to offer new and novel ‘step-changes’ in our products that significantly
enhance transparency, impact resistance, stress crack resistance and gloss. Currently,
Total’s polystyrene sales represent 25 per cent of the total global market demand.”
Delivering on real solutions for a circular economy
“The catalyst and polymerisation technologies developed by Total in the past years
are the building blocks of our new (high-density polyethylene) Circular Compound
product range,” explained Xavier Bontemps. “These compounds containing recycled
material outperform virgin materials and actively contribute to the circular economy. In
addition, we will soon be offering a new range of PS and PLA bio-compounds that are
unique to the market. In summary, along with these developments, we are one of the
few companies to offer a complete portfolio of PP, PE and PS products for the plastics
markets. Our distinct offer is that we can provide solutions which are tailor-made for
each customer’s needs.”
Packaging Europe | 3 |
Total Polymers Research Center in Feluy (Belgium)
“Total’s new Circular Compound product range
containing recycled material outperforms
virgin materials and actively contributes to the
circular economy.”
With over 20 years’ experience in biofuel production, Total is also Europe’s leading
marketer of biofuel. They have recently invested in a large biofuel refinery where
high-quality biodiesel will be manufactured from feedstock primarily consisting of
used vegetable and other renewable oils. This investment is a platform that enables
Total to provide renewable, bio-based feedstocks for its polymer portfolio for which
developments are already well underway.
“The world plastics market is growing at more than four per cent per annum,” affirmed
Xavier Bontemps. “Whilst plastics are the best alternative to traditional materials in terms
of carbon footprint, our pressing challenge now is to scale up to a profitable circular
economy. This is why recycling and bioplastics are growing at a rate which is a multiple of
the growth rate of plastics in general.”
“As far as future growth is concerned,” he concluded, “We will continue to explore both
downstream and upstream opportunities and are open to entering into joint ventures and
acquisitions, if the synergies are there. Right now, we are seeing renewed profitability and
significant growth as a result of our new applications and a lean and more efficient sales
and marketing platform.”
n
Visitors to the K-Fair can find Total at booth E15 in Hall 6. Total Polymers plant in Ningbo (China)
About Total
Total is a global integrated energy producer and provider, a leading
international oil and gas company, and the world’s second-ranked solar
energy operator with SunPower. The Refining & Chemicals division of Total
combines refining and petrochemical activities with specialty chemicals
and employs almost 45,000 people worldwide. The division is Europe’s
leading refining company and second largest petrochemical manufacturer.
It boasts 14 refineries, 26 petrochemical and over 110 specialty plants
around the world. It produces and provides its customers with a wide range
of petroleum products, chemical-based products and polymers, which are
aimed at a wide range of industrial and commercial markets.
We are engaged in a process of continuous improvement of all aspects of
our business in line with our commitment to better energy. Among the key
programmes is the Responsible Care® commitment. The Responsible Care®
initiative is the shared commitment of the global chemical industry to
responsibly manage its chemical products throughout their life cycle and to
promote their role in improving quality of life and sustainable development.
For further details of Total’s innovative polymer products and services visit:
www.polymers.total.com
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*Reprint from Packaging Europe – September 2016