Green Materials: Dow and Fuenix partner for output of 100% circular plastic

US chemical firm Dow has tied up with Fuenix Ecogy Group, based in Weert, the Netherlands, for the supply of pyrolysis oil feedstock, which is made from recycled plastic waste. The feedstock will be used to produce new polymers at Dow’s production facilities at Terneuzen, the Netherlands.

This agreement marks an important step forward to increase feedstock recycling – the process of breaking down mixed waste plastics into their original form to manufacture new virgin polymers. The polymers produced from this pyrolysis oil will be identical to products produced from traditional feedstocks, and as such, they can be used in the same applications, including food packaging.

Dow says it is part of its strategy to enable a shift to a circular economy for plastics by focusing on resource efficiency and integrating recycled content and renewable feedstocks into its production processes. By doing so, post-consumer plastics will continue to have value through an extended lifespan.

This agreement also contributes to Dow’s commitment to incorporate at least 100,000 tonnes of recycled plastics in its product offerings sold in the European Union by 2025.

“We believe plastics are too valuable to be lost as waste and should be part of the circular economy,” said Diego Donoso, business president for Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “With partners in South America, we have supported the development of construction materials made with recycled plastics for schools, and in Southeast Asia, Mexico and the United States, we have built roads made with recycled plastics. This partnership with Fuenix is an important next step in moving us closer to the future we envision, which is the sustainable production of circular polymers.”

Sirt Mellema, CEO Fuenix commented: “This partnership offers us the opportunity to scale up our technology. Our ambition is to ensure the value of plastic waste is fully used to create new, circular plastic while significantly reducing the global use of virgin raw materials and CO2 emissions. We are excited to be working with Dow on this initiative and look forward to playing our part in helping to produce more sustainable materials.”

Fuenix has developed the hybrid Fuenix Ecogy technology to process ‘end of life’ sorted post-consumer packaging material (mixed waste plastics) into premium circular feedstocks (naphtha, paraffin and LPG). It says that out of every kilo of plastic, 70% can be transformed into new plastic with half the CO2 emissions.

(PRA)

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