European plastics circularity: Green Dot Group supplies Shell with pyrolysis oil

18 Jul 2024 --- Green Dot is supplying pyrolysis oil to Shell Chemicals Europe for circular plastic polymers. Shell Chemicals Europe will upgrade the pyrolysis oil to remove impurities and use the new cleaner feedstock to produce circular chemicals that can be further processed into circular polymers for use in plastics. 

The polymers can be used to make contact sensitive plastic packaging, which is designed for various contexts such as animal nutrition, food contact, medical devices and cosmetic products. 

”We are very happy to have supplied Pyrolysis Oil to Shell Chemicals Europe, which will help upgrade these pyrolysis oils and further develop the needed capacities in Europe for circular polymers. Only a few years are left for the first recycled content targets for polyolefin packaging that must be met,” says Mark Vester, Green Dot’s advanced recycling managing director. 

“Collaboration is therefore crucial for many industry partners to pull together in the same direction. With these volumes supplied and Shell Chemicals Europe covering the upgrade of these pyrolysis oils, GreenDot has taken another critical step forward in fitting together all the pieces of the jigsaw that ultimately enable circular polymers to be delivered at scale.”

European circularity
For the last six months, the Green Dot Group and Shell subsidiary Shell Chemicals Europe have been exploring ways to collaborate to try to deliver additional business outcomes across circular chemicals and polymers for Europe.

Green Dot is leveraging its 30 years of experience running an extended producer responsibility scheme in Germany to access plastic waste feedstock from households to produce pyrolysis oils. 

Shell Chemicals Europe will use pyrolysis oil in their Market Development Upgrader unit (MDU), currently under construction at the Shell Chemicals Park in Moerdijk, Netherlands. The MDU is expected to start operating later this year. 

Green Dot and Shell Chemicals Europe aim to explore additional outlets for future volumes to provide more circular chemicals and polymers.

Diverting more plastics waste from energy recovery, landfill and the environment is a critical step in progressing toward a true circular economy in Europe, asserts Green Dot.

Furthermore, collaboration with downstream partners and brand owners will demonstrate that advanced recycling technologies can play a critical role in meeting the growing demand for the safe, circular use of recycled materials in food contact products and help the EU to achieve its recycled content objectives for contact-sensitive plastic packaging of 10% by 2030.