Source:pagev.net

AWARDS HANDED OUT IN THE “SABIC – FROM IDEA TO INNOVATION” COMPETITION SUPPORTED BY PAGEV

 

FIRST PLACE GOES TO ODTU WITH CHEMICAL RECYCLING PROJECT

The “From Idea to Innovation” competition organized by Sabic, one of the leading companies in the petrochemical sector, has concluded. Supported by PAGEV, this year’s theme, “Lighter Products and Sustainability,” attracted great interest. Participants were asked to transform glass, metal, and other materials into thermoplastic solutions for a sustainable life cycle, from design to use, based on sustainability principles. The competition featured a range of striking and innovative projects.

As a jury member, PAGEV, PAGÇEV, SEM Plastic Chairman Yavuz Eroğlu, along with experts including SABIC Turkey General Manager Fahad Al-Harthi, Mustafa Demirci, Oğuz Özgen, Hülya Kiraz, Dr. Fatih Ergüney, and Dr. Betül Türel Erbay, faced a challenging task in selecting the winners from the many groundbreaking and original ideas.

The first-place winners were Ismail Baha Martı, Haşim Kuran, and Adem Can Uşak from Middle East Technical University (METU) with their chemical recycling project titled “Creation of a New Green Technology in Polymer Era.” They received a $4,500 MediaMarkt gift card and a one-week training at one of SABIC’s innovation centers. The project aims to produce high-value new chemicals and PET raw materials from PET plastic waste that cannot otherwise be recycled.

The second-place award, which included a $3,000 MediaMarkt gift card and an internship at SABIC Turkey, went to Abdulmounem Alchekh Wis from Kocaeli University for his sustainable and cost-effective bioplastics project “Biopolymers for Packaging Applications.”

Third place was awarded to Burcu Sarı from METU with her project “ABS and Its Biocomposites in Soft Tissue Engineering,” which focuses on the use of ABS matrix in soft tissue production. She received a $1,500 MediaMarkt gift card.

During the award ceremony, SABIC Turkey General Manager Fahad Al-Harthi emphasized the company’s strong commitment to sustainability and expressed their pleasure in supporting young innovators with environmentally conscious projects.

PAGEV, PAGÇEV, SEM Plastic Chairman Yavuz Eroğlu commented on the competition: “A good idea can always be turned into reality and production. The Turkish plastic industry, one of the locomotive sectors of our economy, needs innovative ideas to reach a higher level. Currently the world’s sixth-largest and Europe’s second-largest plastic producer, our industry will achieve its main growth through high value-added products aligned with new technologies and changing consumer expectations. Since our founding, PAGEV has supported science, technology, innovation, and R&D to ensure sustainable growth in the sector and to increase export prices through the production of high value-added products. In this context, we believe the 'From Idea to Innovation' competition led by Sabic is extremely meaningful. The young participants will play an important role in the future of our industry. I sincerely congratulate not only the winners but all participants for their efforts in generating ideas. We also thank Sabic for providing this valuable opportunity to our youth.”