SABIC HOLDS 2023 OPEN-TO-PUBLIC DAY AND LIGHTS OF OUR FUTURE WORKSHOP

SABIC a global leader in diversified chemicals, recently hosted a series of activities in Nansha, Guangzhou, aimed at strengthening interaction with the local community and advocating the importance of sustainability. Living out its purpose CHEMISTRY THAT MATTERS™, SABIC invited the public into its Nansha plant to participate in the 2023 Open-to-Public (OTP) Day, while SABIC employee volunteers conducted workshop lessons on the topic of sustainability at a Nansha middle school.

With its theme of “Thrive Towards a More Sustainable Tomorrow Together”, SABIC’s 2023 OTP Day underscored the notion that “Chemical Innovation Drives Sustainability” as advocated for by the Association of International Chemical Manufacturers (AICM) this year. While designed to enhance awareness of the chemical industry from the public, the activity was also devised to demonstrate SABIC’s ongoing efforts in practicing Responsible Care® in China alongside its long-term commitment to sustainability.

Li Lei, SABIC Vice President and Regional Head, North Asia and AICM’s Vice Chair, emphasized the role of Responsible Care® as the code of conduct for SABIC on its journey towards sustainability and as the driver for the company’s continuous improvement in Environmental, Health, Safety and Security (EHSS) performance. “SABIC is firmly committed to supporting China’s sustainability cause,” he said. “As our business has grown over these years, we have never lost sight of our duty to act responsibly as an organization, including our role in promoting a vision for sustainability and helping to educate young people through greater awareness, knowledge, and skills in sustainability. Looking forward, we will continue to strengthen our sustainable practices as we drive industry innovation and development while creating a positive impact on the communities in which we operate.”

During the event, close to forty Nansha residents, including a number of primary school students, took part in an educational tour of SABIC’s Nansha Plant. The tour covered topics including ecology, environmental protection, innovation in the circular economy, and production safety. Guests were joined by Zhang Yunshan, leader of the Communications and Education Department of the Nansha Branch of Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Ecological and Environment, who played a video called “Into the Mangroves” that explained the relationship between mangroves and biodiversity and introduced different species of mangrove trees. Following the video, Zhang encouraged participants to take onboard their new knowledge and visit the mangrove swamps to experience the wonders for themselves.

Freddy Lam, Senior Manager, Operations Manufacturing, APAC Compounding and Plant Manager of Nansha Plant, SABIC, introduced guests to the plant’s innovative technologies and sustainable solutions, and demonstrated how innovation drives “magical chemical reactions” that contribute to a more efficient and environmental-friendly life. One such solution shown to participants was SABIC XENOY™ PC/PET, which was developed and launched by the plant. The recycled material is made from ocean-bound plastic which has been recovered from ocean-feeding waterways and inland areas within a 50-kilometre radius of the ocean and is mechanically recycled and converted using SABIC’s regeneration and modification technology. With this technology, SABIC has collaborated with Microsoft to create its first ocean plastic mouse, marking a milestone in applying ocean-bound plastics in electronic products. Furthermore, in July 2021, thanks to the plant’s XENOY™ T2BX2500UV PC/PET compound, SABIC was labelled as the world’s first chemical manufacturer to achieve UL 2809, the Environmental Claim Validation for Recycled Content of ocean-bound plastics.

In addition being committed to offering innovative solutions that deliver positive social impact and sustainable value, SABIC also frequently participates in science and technology exchanges that support innovation in Nansha. On May 22, Olivier Guise, SABIC Technology & Innovation Director, APAC, attended the Greater Bay Area Science Forum where he participated in a panel discussion on “Business Innovation and Sci-tech Cooperation”. Together with other business leaders and academics, he shared SABIC’s stories and cases, explained the importance of leading the industry forward through innovation and collaboration, and discussed how innovation in science and technology and cross value-chain cooperation could support sustainable development.

As an important sister event to the OTP Day, in partnership with JA China, SABIC also co-hosted the 2023 “Lights of Our Future” sustainable development workshop. During the workshop, dozens of trained SABIC volunteers visited Nansha Qilin Middle School to deliver fun and inspiring lessons to first grade students. Throughout the workshop, the SABIC volunteers shared the importance of reducing carbon emissions for the long-term development of humanity and worked with the students to explore the path to carbon reduction. Through the workshop, SABIC hopes to create a positive and lasting impact on the student’s knowledge of sustainability while inspiring creative thinking in how humanity can better protect the environment. 

As a result of its long-term commitment to Responsible Care® in China, SABIC was awarded the Responsible Care® Merit Award in 2013 and 2015 respectively and was recognized by the Responsible Care® Chairman’s Award from 2017 to 2021 consecutively. The company was also awarded the Best Responsible Care® Company Award and Environment-Friendly Award by AICM in 2023.