Borealis buys minority stake in the company behind the EcoCore® manufacturing technology platform for sustainable packaging

Borealis buys minority stake in the company behind the EcoCore® manufacturing technology platform for sustainable packaging

• Deeper partnership drives development of circular packaging solutions based on Borealis polymer and recycling expertise in tandem with Bockatech’s patented EcoCore ® technology platform
• EcoCore platform to be scaled up to expand range and availability of lighter weight and reusable foam applications for converters and brand owners around the globe
• EverMinds™ in action: design for eco-efficiency, reuse and design for recycling

(PRESS RELEASE) VIENNA, 15-Dec-2021 — /EuropaWire/ — Borealis, an Austrian chemical company active in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers, has announced the acquisition of a minority stake in Bockatech Limited, a UK-based growth-stage green tech business and inventor of the innovative EcoCore® manufacturing technology platform for sustainable packaging. The transaction strengthens the existing partnership between the two companies and underlines Borealis’ commitment to plastics circularity. The deal entails joint market and material development in the long term as well as the scaling of the EcoCore platform itself. The aim is to enable a greater number of global customers, value chain partners, and supply chain players to benefit from a broader range of lighter weight foam-based applications, primarily in the packaging sector.

True to the EverMinds™ ambition: synergistic effects to drive plastics circularity

Borealis and Bockatech are leading the transition to plastics circularity, building on co-operation which began in 2016 to develop foam injection moulding solutions for reusable and recyclable packaging. The partnership has already chalked up success with the 2020 “Close the Loop” pilot project at Borealis sites in Belgium. Here, over a million single-use drinking cups were replaced with 30,000 EcoCore lightweight cups, which can be collected and washed for reuse before ultimately being recycled. Thousands of these more environmentally-friendly cups also made an appearance at the recent COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, where they were used for publicly catered events. The conference venue ordered 70,000 reusable cups for use at this and future events.

By intensifying their collaboration, Borealis and Bockatech are accelerating the development of more circular packaging solutions for converters and brand owners in order to meet demand for packaging formats with lower environmental footprints. Bockatech EcoCore uses optimised polyolefin resins supplied by Borealis to create mouldings that have skin-foam-skin walls with high strength-to-weight ratios and excellent thermal insulation. Because only minimal investment in new equipment is required to produce safe and reliable mouldings using the EcoCore technology, converters can readily move into more sustainable packaging formats for a wide range of sectors.

Bockatech EcoCore packaging applications
© Bockatech

While collaboration will continue to focus on reusable coffee cups, additional applications for technology licensing are foreseen, including more sustainable reusable packaging types and lightweight single-use solutions. Applications in non-packaging product ranges are also envisioned, as the EcoCore technology is further advanced and scaled up.

One aim of deeper co-operation is to produce success stories which exemplify the Borealis circular cascade model, in which design for eco-efficiency, reuse, and design for recycling are key elements integrated in a complementary and cascading way to achieve plastics circularity. The EcoCore technology platform aligns with the Borealis circular cascade model on all three levels. “We are proud and pleased to deepen our partnership with Bockatech,” says Lucrèce Foufopoulos, Borealis Executive Vice President Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions and Innovation & Technology. “This is proof positive of our EverMinds approach and commitment to collaboration and innovation to bring about plastics circularity. We look forward to enabling an exciting range of lighter weight and easily recyclable solutions that facilitate the transition from single-use to reuse. This is the right path towards more sustainable living.”

“Working together with Borealis, we’ve already been able to develop packaging for several leading foodservice and fast-moving consumer goods brands in North America and Europe. This new investment will help us advance our EcoCore technology even further and increase the number of applications,” says Henri Gaskjenn, Bockatech CEO. “We share with Borealis a long-term vision of sustainability and, like them, aim to be leaders in the new plastics economy. Their material expertise combined with our manufacturing technology is creating more sustainable solutions with better performance for converters, brands, and consumers alike.”

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About Borealis
Borealis is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions and a European market leader in base chemicals, fertilizers and the mechanical recycling of plastics. We leverage our polymers expertise and decades of experience to offer value adding, innovative and circular material solutions for key industries. In re-inventing for more sustainable living, we build on our commitment to safety, our people and excellence as we accelerate the transformation to a circular economy and expand our geographical footprint.

With head offices in Vienna, Austria, Borealis employs 6,900 employees and operates in over 120 countries. In 2020, Borealis generated EUR 6.8 billion in sales revenue and a net profit of EUR 589 million. OMV, the Austria-based international oil and gas company, owns 75% of Borealis, while the remaining 25% is owned by a holding company of the Abu-Dhabi based Mubadala. We supply services and products to customers around the globe through Borealis and two important joint ventures: Borouge (with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, or ADNOC, based in UAE); and Baystar™ (with TotalEnergies, based in the US).

About Bockatech and EcoCore
Bockatech provides innovative plastic moulding manufacturing technology under licence to help converters and brands improve the products and packaging they make and provide for consumers.

The EcoCore manufacturing technology platform is used to make both single-use and reusable containers that are mono-material, insulated, lightweight and durable to improve sustainability and performance.

The innovative technology produces skin-foam-skin walls in seconds. Cycle times for mouldings using EcoCore are the same as those made from solid plastic — up to 80% less than other foam core products.

EcoCore mouldings have a very high strength to weight ratio. Packaging produced with EcoCore is up to 5X stiffer than solid mouldings of the same weight. Or, the amount of plastic required can be reduced by up to 70%.

The skin-foam-skin walls also provide thermal insulation, offering up to 1.2X more protection than solid wall mouldings of the same weight.

The technology uses well-established polypropylene plastics as well as injection moulding processes — making safe, reliable mouldings with the minimum of investment in new equipment.

EcoCore creates innovative packaging with a competitive edge for a wide range of sectors and applications, including fast moving consumer goods, food service, industrial pails and healthcare.

For more information, please visit
www.borealisgroup.com
www.borealiseverminds.com
www.bockatech.com

EcoCore is a registered trademark of Bockatech Limited

EverMinds is a trademark of Borealis AG

Media contacts:

Borealis:
Virginia Wieser
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Brand & Reputation
tel.: +43 1 22 400 772 (Vienna, Austria)
e-mail: Virginia.Wieser@borealisgroup.com

Bockatech:
Martin Blacher
Media Relations
tel.: +44 (0)7899 941672 (UK)
e-mail: martin@bockatech.com

SOURCE: Borealis AG