These new raw materials will enable a circular approach to produce essential plastic items that meet the requirements of demanding food contact and medical applications.
Production will be based in Köln, Germany. Plastic Energy’s patented TA recycling technology will turn difficult-to-recycle plastic waste, otherwise destined for incineration or landfill, into a valuable raw material called Tacoil, a Plastic Energy product that can be used to create virgin-quality polymers.
Ineos will also invest in technology to process the Tacoil further before feeding it to their steam crackers, where it will replace traditional raw materials derived from oil. This use of advanced recycling enables plastic waste to be turned into new, virgin-quality materials that can be used in demanding applications where safety standards require the highest level of product purity and performance.
Ineos and Plastic Energy first announced a collaboration to explore the construction of a commercial scale plant in 2020. Working together, Tacoil has already been successfully converted into virgin-quality polymer through the Ineos cracker in Köln, Germany, and is being used by selected customers and brands to demonstrate the viability and demand for materials from advanced recycling. As a result, Ineos and Plastic Energy have now announced the extension of their partnership. Production is targeted for the end of 2026.
Using a mass balance approach, an independent, third-party organization such as ISCC or RSB will certify that fossil-based feedstocks have been substituted by the new, recycled materials and ensure that recycled benefits are being accounted for correctly. A mass balance approach enables co-processing of circular and fossil feedstocks, a key step in the transition to a circular economy.
