Total acquires Synova

Acquired company makes recycled PP for the automotive sector.

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Courbevoie, France-based energy company Total S.A., which produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity, has announced its purchase of Synova, a French manufacturer of high-performance recycled polypropylene (PP) for use in the automotive sector.

Synova produces 20,000 metric tons per year of PP from recycled plastic that meets the highest quality standards of original equipment manufacturers and automakers, according to a news release from Total.

The company adds that combining Synova’s recycling expertise and Total’s polymers know-how will increase the supply of recycled PP that delivers the same performance as virgin polymers for automotive applications.

“By contributing to the lighter weight of vehicles, plastics improve their energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions,” Bernard Pinatel, president of Refining and Chemicals, Total, says. “Producing them from recycled materials will also meet the challenge of managing their end of life.”

He adds, “The acquisition of Synova is concrete proof of our commitment to developing plastic recycling. It reinforces the activities we already carry out in recycling and contributes to Total’s ambition to be the responsible energy major.”

Total is a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, which brings together nearly 30 companies from across the plastics and consumer goods value chain. The alliance has committed more than $1 billion to the effort, with the goal of investing $1.5 billion over the next five years to help end plastic waste pollution in the environment, particularly in the oceans.

Total says it produces circular compounds from PP and polyethylene (PE) containing at least 50 percent recycled materials and offering the same properties as virgin polymers.

Total is also associated with Citeo, Saint-Gobain and Syndifrais in a project aimed at establishing a polystyrene (PS) recycling system in France by 2020. The feasibility of large-scale production will be validated at Total’s industrial sites in Carling, France, and Feluy, Belgium.

Total also is involved in bioplastics through a joint venture, Total Corbion PLA, that owns a plant in Thailand that can produce 75,000 metric tons per year of polylactic acid (PLA), a 100 biobased, recyclable and biodegradable bioplastic.