Mechanical recycling of plastics has been making a positive contribution to circular economy, raw material security, and climate protection for decades. Through joining forces, REMONDIS and Neste combine REMONDIS’s waste collecting and sorting capabilities and Neste’s experience and know-how in oil refining and processing of low-quality waste and residue materials. The companies wish to build an ecosystem around chemical recycling to enable other companies in the value chain to join the initiative and complement mechanical recycling by closing the material circle also for those plastics that today are difficult or impossible to recycle.
Chemical recycling of plastics breaks down plastic waste into a raw material for the plastics and chemicals industries to use in the production of new high-quality plastics, chemicals and fuels.
“In order to establish chemical recycling of plastics at an industrial scale, it is necessary that the recycling industry and the chemical industry work closely together. The partnership between REMONDIS and Neste will focus on creating an optimal recycling process to make even more plastics circular,” emphasizes Jürgen Ephan, Managing Director, REMONDIS Recycling.
“We are driven by our purpose of creating a healthier planet for our children. With REMONDIS among our sustainability-oriented value chain partners, we can build a chemical recycling solution to truly expand the possibilities of recycling those materials we cannot recycle today. Chemical recycling will enable us to circulate carbon in society over and over again and reduce crude oil dependence, which is one of Neste’s key targets as a sustainability leader in our industry. Collaboration between REMONDIS and Neste will bring us one step closer to fulfilling our commitment to process annually more than one million tons of waste plastic from 2030 onwards,'' says Mercedes Alonso, Executive Vice President, Renewable Polymers and Chemicals, Neste.
The cooperation between REMONDIS and Neste is a step towards innovation and investments that are necessary to prepare the recycling industry for the future. We need new capacities, technologies and supportive legislative framework to meet the EU’s ambitious recycling targets. Chemical recycling will be critical for reaching these targets.
