First in Southeast Asia, Environmentally Friendly Plastic Raw Material Produced by Pertamina Group

Jakarta, September 25, 2024 – PT Pertamina (Persero) is committed to implementing sustainable business practices, one of which is through the downstream energy ecosystem utilization.

As part of the 2024 Anugerah Jurnalistik Pertamina (AJP) activities, particularly in the West Java (JBB) Territory, Pertamina and media representatives visited PT Polytama Propindo (Polytama), an affiliate of Pertamina. Polytama is a subsidiary of PT Tuban Petrochemical Industries (TubanPetro).

During the visit, the media had the opportunity to witness firsthand the production process of environmentally friendly plastic products produced by Polytama.

The Vice President of Corporate Communication of PT Pertamina (Persero), Fadjar Djoko Santoso, stated that through this media visit to Polytama, it is hoped that media representatives will be inspired to create journalistic works about the downstream energy ecosystem that produces environmentally friendly petrochemical products.

"Through media, the public can learn about the proper and environmentally friendly plastics utilization in everyday life," explained Fadjar.

The Director of Commercial & Support of Polytama, Dwinanto Kurniawan, added that the plastic raw material, specifically polypropylene, is considered environmentally friendly because it is easily recyclable “iam recyclable” using the pyrolysis method without producing harmful chemicals.

This downstream energy ecosystem is based on propylene in its gas phase produced through crude oil’s refining (distillation) process, resulting in petrochemical products in plastic resin as an environmentally friendly raw material.

This gaseous propylene is produced at the Balongan, Cilacap, and Balikpapan refineries, which are operated by PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional, a subsidiary of Pertamina's Refining & Petrochemical sub-holding.

"The polypropylene plastic raw material produced by Polytama under the brand name Masplene®️ comes in two forms: pellets and granules. The granule product innovation is unique to Polytama and is the only one in Indonesia and Southeast Asia," explained Dwinanto.

Several national industries use polypropylene resin to create various processed plastic products. The public can identify environmentally friendly plastic by its triangular symbol with the plastic code "5", which can be found on food and beverage packaging, plastic sacks, household plastic items, spun-bond shopping bags, laundry plastic film, carpets, masks, personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as automotive and electronic parts.

Polytama produces 300,000 tons of polypropylene resin annually, with 23,000-24,000 metric tons (MT) per month or 780-800 MT per day. Polytama's products have also received a certification for fulfilling the Domestic Component Level (TKDN) with a score of 81.83%.

According to Dwinanto, to support independence in the petrochemical sector, Polytama plans to double its production capacity to 600,000 tons per year by 2027, increasing from 300,000 tons per year through the Balongan Polypropylene plant project.

"By 2027, the plan is to reach 600,000 metric tons. This means that by 2027, Polytama will become the largest polypropylene producer in Indonesia," said Dwinanto.

Pertamina, as a leading company in the energy transition, is committed to supporting the Net Zero Emission 2060 target by continuously promoting programs that directly impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement. All these efforts align with Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) implementation across all Pertamina's business lines and operations.**