LyondellBasell Partners with Technip Energies for Advanced Recycling Plant in Italy

LyondellBasell

LyondellBasell, one of the world's largest chemical companies, announced a strategic alliance with Technip Energies today to build an advanced recycling plant in Ferrara, Italy. The partnership represents a breakthrough in the shift towards the circular economy in Europe's petrochemicals industry as companies push to achieve tight sustainability goals and tap into expanding demand for recycled plastics. According to the European Plastics Recyclers Association, future advanced recycling technologies will be able to complement mechanical recycling and boost the total recycling rate from the current 32% up to more than 50% by 2030. The Circular Economy Action Plan of the European Commission and the newly launched Clean Industrial Deal further enhance the regulatory environment backing such innovations.

• The new facility will use Technip Energies' "PureLoop" pyrolysis technology, which is intended to transform mixed plastic waste into virgin-quality polymer feedstock. The facility, when it comes online, will be able to process over 50,000 metric tons of plastic waste each year. This effort supports the European Commission's Clean Industrial Deal launched in February 2025, which outlines a path for decarbonising industry and promotes the adoption of circular economy principles.
• "This partnership represents a pivotal advancement in our circular economy strategy," said Peter Vanacker, CEO of LyondellBasell. "By combining our manufacturing excellence with Technip Energies' cutting-edge technology, we're creating a sustainable solution that aligns with Europe's ambitious climate goals while meeting growing market demand for recycled materials."
• Industry analysts predict the European chemical recycling industry to grow at a CAGR of 14.8% by 2030, driven by regulatory drivers and increasing corporate efforts to incorporate recycled content into consumer goods and packaging. The Ferrara plant will initially have a capacity to process 50,000 metric tons of plastic waste annually, with expansion opportunities as the market evolves.
• Artificial intelligence and digital technologies will play a vital role in making the plant's operation optimal, starting from pre-processing and sorting plastic waste to regulating pyrolysis conditions and producing consistent output quality. A digital twin facility will be used to monitor real-time and for predictive maintenance to make the operations optimal. 
• The investment is part of widespread consolidation in the European petrochemicals sector as businesses move their portfolios to circular technology and speciality chemicals with higher value. The move by LyondellBasell toward circular solutions is in reaction to changing market forces and customer demands for sustainable products.
• The Ferrara project has also been funded by local powers and European innovation funds, proving the strategic significance of chemical recycling to Europe's industrial rebirth. Industry stakeholders anticipate that effective deployment of the technology would spur similar investments across the continent, creating a platform of high-end recycling plants to fight the plastic waste phenomenon.
• As there is increasing pressure on chemical firms to lower carbon emissions and limit plastic waste, collaborations such as this between tech suppliers and producers will become more prevalent, steering the industry towards more circularity and sustainability.