Cepsa Quimica has launched the first two products in a new line of sustainable chemicals: NextLAB and NextPhenol. The products used in the manufacture of detergents and engineering plastics, among others, are now made from renewable and recycled raw materials. The launch of the new product range is not only part of Cepsa Química's ambition to make its own business activities fossil-free in the long term, but also helps Cepsa customers to produce their products and production processes more sustainably.

 

Cepsa Quimica is one of the world's leading producers of LAB (linear alkyl benzene) and phenol. LAB is mainly used for the production of biodegradable household detergents and cleaning products. Among other things, phenol is used in the automotive, construction and pharmaceutical industries as a raw material for the production of engineering plastics, nylon, polycarbonate, methyl methacrylate (MMA) and coatings.

 

"Cepsa Quimica has set clear goals to make the company sustainable and fossil-free in the long term," explains Jose Maria Cuadro, Head of Feedstocks, ESG & HSEQ at Cepsa Quimica. "To achieve this, we not only pay attention to our own production processes, energy consumption and supply chain, but above all to the origin of the raw materials by replacing traditional fossil sources with renewable feedstocks and waste.

 

"Although the new range of products, marketed under the NextLAB and NextPhenol brands, contains at least 68% sustainable (or alternative) carbon sources according to the mass balance approach, we are ultimately still supplying the same molecules," explains Jose María Cuadro. "The only difference is that we no longer get them from fossil sources, but from waste and biomass. The product specifications, performance and applications of the new products are basically the same - the REACH perspective does not change either. We have to however, adapt our production processes, since renewable and recycled raw materials require additional processing."

 

The new NextLAB and NextPhenol product lines are currently being manufactured in Cepsa Quimica factories in the Spanish provinces of Cadiz and Huelva, but also in Shanghai. These plants have been certified to the ISCC Plus standard, which focuses on the sustainability and traceability of recycled materials, waste products and biomass for the production of recyclable plastics and chemical raw materials. The ISCC Plus certificate proves that a company meets globally recognized requirements for ecology and sustainability, voluntary reduction of greenhouse gases and traceability. ISCC Plus certifications are also in preparation for the production of LAB and LABSA at the plants in Detén (Brazil) and Bécancour (Canada).