In Lavera, Southern France, INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe received the first deliveries of a feedstock made from recycling plastic waste. This pyrolysis oil will be used to manufacture recycled polymers, helping customers to meet EU requirements for food contact, medical, and sensitive plastic packaging, ensuring they have a minimum of 10% recycled content by 2030.
INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe
INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe launches recycled plastic production.
These new grades will help satisfy stringent EU regulatory requirements for demanding applications like caps and closures, milk bottles, and water pipes. A part of the Lavera cracker needed to be adapted to enable the production of these materials from renewable naphtha made from sources like biomass, organic waste, or recycled materials, alongside traditional feedstocks.
Pyrolysis oil is made using post-consumer plastic packaging waste that cannot be processed by mechanical recycling. This process is known as advanced recycling. The oil will be used in the cracker to make recycled ethylene and propylene for conversion into virgin-quality, recycled polyethene and polypropylene at INEOS’ polymer plants in Lavera and Sarralbe (France), and Rosignano (Italy). The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification scheme (ISCC PLUS) certifies the renewable nature of these products.
“At INEOS, we recognise that delivering a circular economy requires both ambition and action. While mechanical recycling remains essential, advanced recycling plays a critical role in expanding the potential for plastics recycling and closing the loop, particularly for high-performance applications. We are making real and tangible progress. By converting our cracker in Lavera and securing access to pyrolysis oil, we are building the capability needed to produce virgin-quality polymers from recycled feedstocks. These materials will help our customers meet the EU’s stringent regulatory targets and sustainability goals,” said Rob Ingram, CEO of INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe. “We are committed to accelerating circularity by working with partners and leveraging our full portfolio of circular solutions, including our Recycl-IN hybrid polymers and our pilot line for fully recyclable MDO films. This is INEOS driving innovation with purpose.”
About the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR)
The EU PPWR set out ambitious targets for recycling packaging waste for 2030 and 2040. Advanced recycling solutions play an important role in meeting the growing demand for the safe use of recycled materials that are needed to achieve the minimum levels of recycled content in plastic packaging.
Advanced Recycling allows for the production of end products that can be recycled on multiple occasions, ensuring true circularity. This technology helps to limit the plastic that ends up in landfills or incineration while also reducing the use of fossil-based raw materials.