Braskem Netherlands and Shell Chemicals Europe announced a joint agreement on Jan. 17 to produce circular polypropylene from mixed plastic waste.
Shell will upgrade a variety of pyrolysis oils into virgin-quality circular feedstocks at the Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk, Netherlands. Braskem will then convert this feedstock into circular polypropylene in its plant in Wesseling, Germany.
The circular polypropylene will be commercialized under the brand Wenew.
The increase in circular polypropylene will significantly contribute to Braskem's sustainability commitments to reduce plastic waste, as well as furthering the company's growth strategy, the company said in a news release. Braskem has set a target to achieve 1 million tons of products with recycled material and recover 1.5 million tons of plastic from the environment by 2030.
"Adopting initiatives that include plastic waste recovery, mechanical, and chemical recycling in our production processes is connected to our company's purpose to provide a more circular and sustainable future, on top of the leading position Braskem has in biopolymers globally,” said Walmir Soller, vice president of olefins and polyolefins at Braskem Europe and Asia. “This agreement represents an important step to combine Shell's technology and infrastructure with Braskem's polymer expertise and market knowledge towards more sustainable and scalable solutions.”
The deal also aligns with Shell Chemical’s sustainability goals, said Daniëlle Ebentreich, chief marketing and sustainability officer at Shell Chemicals.
“This agreement emphasizes our commitment to addressing challenging environmental issues, like plastic waste and hard-to-recycle plastics,” Ebentreich says. “By using our investments in innovative, sustainable projects at Shell's strategically positioned Energy and Chemical Parks we are able to play a key role, together with our partners throughout the value chain, in unlocking sustainable solutions for our customers and society.”
Braskem is working closely with its partners to launch circular polypropylene products for specific market applications, such as packaging and automotive.