OMV receives ISCC PLUS certification for the production of renewable chemicals at the Burghausen Refinery
OMV has received ISCC PLUS certification for the production of renewable chemicals at the Burghausen Refinery. The certification process was carried out in 2 stages. The first certification audit for the production of renewable ethylene and renewable propylene was successfully completed in October 2021. The ISCC PLUS certification for the production of renewable benzene, butadiene and isobutylene at the OMV Burghausen refinery was awarded in March 2022. This makes OMV’s cracker in Burghausen one of the first 20 worldwide to be ISCC PLUS certified.
As a global standard for recycled and bio-based materials, ISCC PLUS enables traceability along the supply chain by verifying whether companies comply with certain environmental and social standards and by establishing a chain of custody. This enables OMV to certify its mass-balance production of renewable and chemically recycled raw materials. The mass-balance approach is crucial for the transition to a more circular economy.
At the end of 2021, ISCC PLUS certified renewable ethylene was produced at the OMV refinery in Burghausen for the first time. In the process, the fossil naphtha feedstock in the steam cracker was replaced by a 2nd generation biomass-based feedstock for the production of highly refined renewable chemicals. The use of biomass results in a saving of approximately 50% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions* compared to the use of fossil feedstock.
“Our customers have shown significant interest in more sustainable products. We are expanding our renewable chemicals product range to fulfill the growing demand. We are thereby making an important contribution to reducing the overall CO2 intensity of our products. As a key element of our recently presented OMV Strategy 2030, we aim to further increase the production of sustainable fuels, chemicals and materials”, said Martijn van Koten, OMV Executive Board Member for Refining.
“Market demand for lower-carbon plastics and materials is growing rapidly as more and more of our customers are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and achieve their sustainability goals”, said Vinnolit Managing Director Karl-Martin Schellerer. “We are pleased to be leading the way here with our partner OMV in the Bavarian Chemical Triangle”.
Vinnolit, a Westlake company, already launched a second climate-friendly product, GreenVin® PVC, at the end of 2021, following the introduction of GreenVin® caustic soda early last year. While these products are based on the use of renewable electricity, the next step is using ISCC PLUS certified renewable ethylene in the production of PVC.
*Basis Eco-profiles and Environmental Product Declarations of the European Plastics Manufacturers Ethylene, Propylene, Butadiene, Pyrolysis Gasoline, Ethylene Oxide (EO), Ethylene Glycols (MEG, DEG, TEG) PlasticsEurope November 2012 – PlasticsEurope
Background information:
OMV Aktiengesellschaft
With Group sales revenues of EUR 36 bn and a workforce of around 22,400 employees in 2021, OMV is amongst Austria’s largest listed industrial companies.
In Chemicals & Materials, OMV through its subsidiary 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 plastics recycling. Together with its two major joint ventures – Borouge (with ADNOC, in the UAE and Singapore) and Baystar™ (with TotalEnergies, in the USA) – Borealis supplies products and services to customers across the globe. OMV’s Refining & Marketing business produces and markets fuels as well as feedstock for the chemical industry, operates three refineries in Europe, and holds a 15% stake in a refining joint venture in the UAE. OMV operates around 2,100 filling stations in ten European countries. In addition, the activities include Gas & Power Eastern Europe where it also operates a gas-fired power plant in Romania. In Exploration & Production, OMV explores and produces oil and gas in the four core regions of Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, North Sea, and Asia-Pacific. Average daily production in 2021 included production from a joint venture in Russia and amounted to 486,000 boe/d with a focus on natural gas (~60%). As of March 1, 2022, Russian entities are no longer consolidated. Its activities include Gas Marketing Western Europe, where it also operates gas storage facilities in Austria and Germany.
OMV intends to transition from an integrated oil, gas, and chemicals company to become a leading provider of innovative and sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials, while taking a leading global role in the circular economy. By switching over to a low-carbon business, OMV is striving to achieve net zero in all three Scopes by 2050 at the latest.
Vinnolit GmbH & Co. KG – A Westlake company
As a leading manufacturer of PVC and key partner for caustic soda, Vinnolit, a Westlake company, offers individual solutions for customers from a wide range of industries, such as the construction sector, the automotive industry, medical technology or pulp and paper production. As a manufacturer of high-quality PVC specialties, Vinnolit is a global market leader. At its headquarters in Ismaning near Munich and its four production sites in Burghausen, Gendorf, Knapsack and Cologne, 1,400 employees generate annual sales of around €1 billion.
Vinnolit participates in the chemical industry's Responsible Care program for the continuous improvement of safety, health and environmental protection and supports VinylPlus®, the European PVC industry's voluntary commitment to sustainable development, as an "Official Partner" financially, ideally and through active participation.