ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and HOHENWESTEDT,
Germany, June 16,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LyondellBasell and AFA Nord, a
leading recycler of agricultural film, have agreed to create a
50:50 joint venture that intends to recycle post commercial
flexible secondary packaging waste. The joint venture company, LMF
Nord GmbH, plans to build a mechanical recycling plant in
Northern Germany to turn Linear
Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) and Low Density Polyethylene
(LDPE) waste into quality recycled plastic materials for use in
flexible packaging. Start of production is expected for early
2025.
Secondary plastic packaging, such as stretch or shrink film, is
mainly used to hold packed consumer goods together and protect them
during transportation and storage from contamination and damage.
Until today, this material is difficult to recycle into
high-quality raw materials that can meet the requirements of the
packaging industry regarding strength and transparency of their
final product.
"This Joint Venture will provide recycled LDPE and LLDPE
materials and complements our existing CirculenRecover range
of high density polyethylene and polypropylene products," says
Yvonne van der Laan,
LyondellBasell's executive vice president, Circular and Low Carbon
Solutions. "It adds to our efforts in advanced recycling and
delivers against our integrated hub strategy, where we invest
upstream to provide feedstock from various plastic waste streams.
With this efficient full suite of solutions we continue to be the
preferred partner of our customers."
The new recycling unit is expected to produce 26,000 tons per
year of recycled LDPE and LLDPE grades that LyondellBasell will
market through its CirculenRecover family of products for
use in various applications from stretch films to collation shrink
films. The CirculenRecover product family comprises a wide
range of mechanically recycled materials that are currently used in
applications ranging from electrical appliances, to washing
detergent bottles and suitcases.
TM Recycling GmbH, a sister company of AFA Nord, will be
responsible to provide the feedstock for LMF Nord GmbH. TM
Recycling is also a member of the Mensing Group.
"We already operate Germany's
only agricultural film recycling plant for a number of years and
have a broad experience in the production of recycled
materials," says Andreas Mensing,
managing director of AFA Nord. "Together with LyondellBasell we can
contribute to a circular economy and increase the availability of
recycled solutions for flexible packaging applications."
About LyondellBasell
We are LyondellBasell – a leader
in the global chemical industry creating solutions for everyday
sustainable living. Through advanced technology and focused
investments, we are enabling a circular and low carbon economy.
Across all we do, we aim to unlock value for our customers,
investors and society. As one of the world's largest producers of
polymers and a leader in polyolefin technologies, we develop,
manufacture and market high-quality and innovative products for
applications ranging from sustainable transportation and food
safety to clean water and quality healthcare. For more information,
please visit www.lyondellbasell.com or follow @LyondellBasell on
LinkedIn.
About AFA Nord
AFA Nord is a LDPE/LLDPE recycling
company, specialized in recycling heavily contaminated LDPE films
originating from the agricultural and construction
industries. We provide a "real" close loop, picking up the
films directly from the farms, recycling them and producing pellets
that our partners convert into new film; we then sell back the film
to the farmers.
TM Recycling GmbH is a sister company of AFA Nord and is also a
member of the Mensing Group. TM Recycling will be responsible to
provide the feedstock for LMF Nord GmbH.
Forward-looking statement for LyondellBasell
The
statements in this release relating to matters that are not
historical facts are forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management
of LyondellBasell which are believed to be reasonable at the time
made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual
results could differ materially based on factors including, but not
limited to, our ability to meet our sustainability goals, including
the ability to increase production of recycled and renewable-based
polymers; receipt of required regulatory approvals; and the
successful construction and operation of the joint venture
facilities described in this release. Additional factors that could
cause results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the "Risk Factors"
section of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which can be found at
www.LyondellBasell.com on the Investor Relations page and on the
Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov.
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SOURCE LyondellBasell Industries