Everminds

Borealis Closes The Loop

Borealis is trialling an innovative double-closed loop system across its four sites in Belgium, founded on the principles of Reduce – Reuse – Recycle. Replacing 1.5 million single-use cups used annually with 30,000 reusable cups, this is how the Borealis Closes The Loop pilot project works:

  • Plastic is reduced from the outset through extremely lightweight Bockatech cups
  • The cups are reused until they are worn or damaged, then removed from circulation to close the reuse loop
  • The ambition is to recycle these cups into food-approved recyclate that can be used to create more reusable cups, closing the recycling loop.

This double-closed loop system is EverMinds™ in action, bringing together stakeholders to create an innovative circular economy solution.

It’s the result of a collaboration between Borealis New Business Development & CES (resin supply & recycling), Borealis Digital Studio (digitalisation), Bockatech (cup foaming technology), Miko Pac (cup production), Verstraete (in-mould labels), Goodless (external washing service) and Miko Coffee Services.

Reduce

Reduce

We have used about 300kg of virgin pellets

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Cups

Cups

These cups were specially designed for our pilot.
They visualize our circular model and highlight our key message: let’s close the loop!

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Reuse

Reuse

Both hot and cold drinks can be served in the Borealis Reusable Cups. If you want to even go a step further please rinse and reuse the cups as much as you can before dropping them in the collection bin.

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Collection

Collection

After you are finished with your drink, please empty the cup with any residual fluids before disposing the cups in the special collection bins nearby.

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Cleaning

Cleaning

The cups are collected and washed by our partner in their industrial washing facilities to guarantee the highest hygienic standards.

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Recycled

Recycled

When the cups are end of life (due to breaking or scratches for instance) the cups are taken out of the reuse loop and recycled.

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How to use the reusable cups?

  1. Take a clean reusable cup from the newly labelled cupboards near the coffee machine
  2. Fill your cup with a hot or cold drink
  3. Rinse your cup, then refill and reuse it as much as possible throughout the day
  4. When finished with your cup, empty it before dropping in the collection bin located near the coffee machine
  5. The cups are collected, professionally cleaned and then placed back in the cupboard.
  6. Congratulations! You are now part of the circular economy.
Cups 1

Stats

2021-07-15
300 kg
Pellets

30000 cups
In the loop

100%
705000 cups
Coffee consumptions in 2019 served in single-use cups

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About

ABOUT BOREALIS CLOSES THE LOOP

At Borealis, we believe our polyolefins (PO) are too valuable to be littered, incinerated or landfilled. They have an important role to play as enablers of the circular economy of plastics.

As a sustainable PO producer, it is our responsibility to reinvent our products and business models for sustainable living, ensuring our polymers deliver maximum value and minimal environmental impact throughout their longest possible lifetimes.

We believe our products need to bring value to all stages of the circular economy and all levels of the waste hierarchy. We can do this by closing the loops and ensuring we reduce and reuse before we recycle and recover. It is our duty to own and guide our own POs through their lifecycle, ensuring they are redeployed over and over, as high up as possible in the waste hierarchy.

Borealis Closes The Loop sets up a circular business model in a reuse environment. It’s how Borealis can retain ownership of the virgin PO we produce, creating our own feedstock sources of post-consumer recyclates (PCR) and therefore assuring our quality level.

By offering this service, we are also creating a network of companies and applications. This brings additional value by offering insights that are vital in developing the reuse and recycle business model.


BOREALIS EVERMINDS™

Launched in 2018, EverMinds™ is an umbrella brand that unites the wide range of Borealis activities and initiatives aimed at making plastics more circular. As a dedicated platform, it promotes a circular mindset among all Borealis stakeholders and encompasses proprietary technologies, as well as established brands such as Purpolen™ and Dipolen™.

EverMinds™ also facilities deeper collaboration between Borealis and its partners, aiming to develop innovative and sustainable PO solutions based on the circular model of recycling, reuse and design for circularity. The platform also extends to pioneering corporate programmes such as Project STOP, and engagement in industry initiatives like the Polyolefins Circular Economy Platform (PCEP) and Project CEFLEX.

We’d like to hear from you

Borealis Closes The Loop is a pilot scheme that represents small, but important steps in transitioning towards a more circular economy. It is only possible thanks to the collective effort of all our participating employees in Belgium. Your feedback will help us optimise this initiative, so if you have any thoughts or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to let us know at feedback@borealisclosestheloop.com

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