In its annual Sustainability Report released on Sep. 28, Jim Seward, senior vice president, research and development at the chemicals and plastics manufacturer, said the company had made strides in mechanical and advanced recycling as well as producing renewable-based products during its multi-year journey to advance the circular economy.

“Our goals underscore what we see possible in the next decade and our sustainability ambitions require us to adapt our business models,” Seward said.

Other commitments include increasing investment in plastic recovery and recycling, accelerating solutions to end plastic waste and reducing CO₂ emissions by 15% per ton of product produced relative to 2015 levels by 2030.

In addition, LyondellBasell said it would join industry peers in organizations Plastic Europe and the American Chemistry Council to ensure 100% of plastic packaging is reused, recycled or recovered by 2040.

Italian recycling plant goes online

In separate news, LyondellBasell announced the successful start-up of its MoReTec molecular recycling pilot facility in Ferrara, Italy.

The plant uses LyondellBasell’s proprietary MoReTec recycling technology that converts post-consumer plastic waste back to its molecular form so that it can be reused to make new plastic materials for applications such as food packaging and healthcare products.

Capable of processing between 5-10 kg/hr of household plastic waste, the pilot plant aims to understand the interaction of various waste types in the process, test the various catalysts and confirm the process temperature and time needed to decompose the waste into molecules.

The goal is for this work to be completed during the next couple of years and then plan for an industrial-scale unit. LyondellBasell said its R&D teams in Italy, Germany and the US are currently working to explore potential commercial-scale applications.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist