Plastics are central to modern life, but also pose significant challenges to the health of our planet. Here, Duncan Lugton, Head of Policy and Impact at The Institution of Chemical Engineers (iChemE), sheds light on advanced recycling processes and how chemical engineering is helping to make plastics more sustainable.
icheme
By 2040, over 30 million tonnes of plastic waste are expected to enter the environment, while plastics across their lifecycle could generate 2.8 gigatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for nearly 5% of the global total. However, a blanket ban on plastics is unrealistic, given their widespread use.
Building systems that can reclaim and reuse existing and future plastics already offers a more compelling route to reducing environmental impact than eliminating plastics outright. Alongside mechanical recycling, chemical recycling raises overall recovery rates, enabling high-quality recycled content for demanding applications and reducing reliance on fossil-derived feedstocks. In this sense, advanced recycling functions not only as waste management but as a climate technology, turning existing plastics into a usable resource rather than a long-term liability.
Process engineering sits at the heart of this transition. Plastic Energy, a UK-headquartered chemical recycling company, has refined its Thermal Anaerobic Conversion (TAC) process to convert soft plastic waste into an oil known as TACOIL. Deployment is accelerating across Europe with more commercial plants, and countries across Asia are also beginning to realise the need for a solution. Scaling these systems successfully is possible by chemical engineers with deep expertise in process design, optimisation and hazard management.
Technologies such as pyrolysis have been under development for over 15 years and are now moving into wider industrial use. Their growing adoption reflects a shift away from treating plastics as disposable waste and towards viewing them as a recoverable and valuable resource within a circular economy. This transition is attracting engineers who want to work in environments where sustainability is central to the mission. Plastics, once seen as a settled industry, now present clear opportunities to deliver large-scale environmental impact through improved circularity.
Engineering input has also driven improvements in energy integration. Process engineers have enabled syngas, a combustible gas produced during pyrolysis, to be reused to heat reactors, reducing external energy demand and improving overall efficiency. Managing one tonne of mixed plastic waste through the TAC process can deliver up to 78% carbon dioxide savings compared with incineration with energy recovery.
However, expanding recycling infrastructure at scale requires unifying policy and processes across the supply chain, from waste management through to polymer production and regulation. Mechanical recycling remains essential, but it cannot address the full complexity of plastic already in circulation. Flexible packaging, mixed materials and applications that demand high purity continue to fall beyond its practical limits.
The circular economy is not an abstract ambition but a practical engineering challenge. It depends on systems thinking rather than isolated interventions. Technology enables progress, but delivery depends on coordination. Chemical engineers bring a process-wide perspective that connects decisions at each stage to real-world outcomes, translating circular economy ambition into workable industrial practice and enabling plastics to move from environmental liability to sustainable materials.
Plastics will remain essential materials to modern life. The task now is to ensure they sit within systems designed for resilience and reuse rather than disposal.