Welcome to the Plastics Weekly, NEO’s regular news monitoring of the plastics industry.
This week’s highlights:
- The widespread adoption of returning and reusing plastic packaging could help to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 69%, according to a new study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Such schemes not only lower companies’ emissions but can also drive down costs for some items. The study, published as the United Nations attempts to deliver the world’s first treaty to control plastic pollution, called for a systemic change to stem and reverse plastic waste across beverages, personal care, fresh food, and food cupboard sectors. (Reuters)
- China, the world’s largest plastic producer, is partnering with ExxonMobil on a multibillion-dollar petrochemical complex in Huizhou to meet growing demand for polymer-based products in the automotive, agricultural and consumer industries. The project is reported to cost a total of $10 billion and is slated to be up and running by 2025. The new plant highlights the tensions between plans recently announced by the U.S. and China to cooperate on reducing their impact on the climate and the reality of a world still largely dependent on fossil fuels. (Greenbiz)
- LyondellBasell has made the final investment decision to build the company’s first industrial-scale chemical recycling plant at its Wesselining site in Germany. The project was first announced in October last year, when the Dutch chemical company and Germany-based 23 Oaks Investments established a joint venture company called Source One Plastics. The facility is expected to have an annual capacity of 50,000 tonnes, and construction is planned to be completed by the end of 2025. (Sustainable Plastics)