Sustainable development is a major issue that the world is focusing on. On the other hand, it is not easy to balance the three values (TBL) of social, environmental, and economic aspects (People, Planet, Profits) that meet the needs of local communities and employees, reduce environmental impact, and pursue the company's profits. Both consumers and companies are rethinking their current activities to specifically address sustainability.

A key consideration in these sustainability programs is the production and use of plastics, and awareness of this has increased as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. In fact, all topics related to sustainability have received significant attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is greater awareness of risk across the business world, and there is also growing concern for the environment, including reducing plastic waste. At the same time, the pandemic has seen an increase in the use of single-use plastics for food delivery and hygiene reasons.

Plastic recycling has been low for years, and scaling up this activity is key to moving towards a circular economy. This challenging concept is based on the principle that we need to move away from current manufacturing processes based on linear life cycles, integrating waste and by-products, eliminating emissions, and reducing overall impacts on the natural environment.



According to the UK's Ellen MacArthur Foundation, only about 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling worldwide, and a whopping one-third of that amount is leaked into the environment. At the recent CERAWeek Conversation, Anthony Palmer, vice president of IHS Markit, predicted that more than 400,000 metric tons of plastic waste could leak into the environment by 2050.

Consumer goods companies have set ambitious goals to use recycled plastics in their end products and packaging, but face the challenge of scaling up recycling and collection processes to handle the massive amounts of plastic waste scattered across the globe.


The good news is that many companies across the plastics value chain are actively working together to address the plastic waste problem, and digital capabilities can help solve some of the most critical issues in recycling operations.

In the case of mechanical recycling processes, it can be difficult to reintegrate the material into the value chain when melting the plastic to make new plastic products. Plastics corresponding to recycling symbols 1 to 6 (see Figure 3) often have to be separated and collected individually depending on the type. Because many packaging materials are made of composite materials mixed with plastic, unique approaches may be required.


FP Corporation, a Japanese company, faced business complexity and sustainability challenges in terms of its packaging and logistics operations. However, thanks to the successful implementation of digital supply chain solutions, the company was able to optimize its complex production and distribution processes to meet both profitability and sustainability goals.

FP Corporation worked with its partner Time Commerce to develop a scheduling plan that integrates demand planning and warehouse capacity into the key cost drivers of production, inventory, and transportation. The plan includes collecting used containers from consumers and reusing materials, primarily polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate, on the production floor. As a result, the company estimates it reduced landfill waste by about 443,000 metric tons and carbon emissions by about 160,000 metric tons in fiscal 2019.

Digital technologies are also helping to develop and improve new recycling capabilities, commonly referred to as “advanced recycling.”

This advanced method differs from mechanical recycling in that it breaks down polymers to create starting monomers, feedstocks, or other intermediates that can be used as feedstocks.

Advanced recycling offers opportunities to manage large amounts of plastic waste and convert it into usable materials.

Additionally, as the process improves, it can provide greater flexibility in the types and varieties of plastics that can be recycled.

Pyrolysis is a fundamental process supporting advanced recycling of polyethylene (No. 2 HDPE and No. 4 LLDPE) and polypropylene (No. 5 PP).

Several global companies are researching pyrolysis processes, focusing on digital simulation solutions such as AspenTech’s Aspen Plus.

These solutions model the complex reactions that occur during polymer degradation, allowing conditions to be optimized for cost and emissions.

Pyrolysis could be a useful first step in local recycling schemes, as the liquid component makes it much easier to transport than bulk plastic waste.

Recent research using Aspen Plus to model the thermal decomposition of waste tires has shown that these simulation models serve as a robust tool for responding to market conditions that determine fuel demand and pricing, while also deriving optimal process conditions (e.g., temperature) for process economics. Operators can optimize for local market demand, including gasoline, diesel and other hydrocarbons.

Digital technology also helps in the next step of the recycling process, where the oil produced from the pyrolysis process is re-incorporated into the process as a feedstock for the steam cracker that produces olefins. Scheduling solutions such as Aspen PIMS can help companies evaluate unit processes for alternative feedstocks and provide guidance on optimal conditions for the process. As operational experience evolves, process analytics can help operators target maintenance activities (e.g., furnace decoking) or safety activities to maintain energy efficiency while meeting operational requirements.

The value of plastics is another area of focus across the plastics value chain, with a number of approaches being taken by businesses, including improving quality and durability. Some consumer goods companies are turning to reusable, durable packaging, while plastics producers are looking to upgrade product quality, streamline recycling processes, and reduce overall waste in their current production processes.

Simulation of polymer properties and processes can accelerate the development of these new products, allowing manufacturers to bring new products to market faster and at lower cost. For Dow, using dynamic simulation to adjust process conditions helped accelerate time to market and reduce batch cycle times for polymer production. For SCG Chemical, eliminating plant testing for a new HDPE grade saved more than $300,000.

The value of plastics is related to production quality as well as the elimination of low value-added products that are mainly produced in mass production processes. Digital solutions can help optimize current polymer operations to minimize poor quality production and reduce energy usage. Scheduling solutions can be applied to polymer processing operations to optimize production schedules and operating conditions, minimizing waste generated between high quality products.

A massive global effort is needed to address the plastic waste problem and advance important sustainability goals. Companies can achieve these goals quickly by using digital capabilities to focus on recycling, optimizing, and redesigning polymers.

※ This article was contributed by Paige Marie Morse, Aspen Technology Advisor, and Kyuho Han, Aspen Technology Senior Consultant.