Reliance Industries launches India’s first ISCC-Plus certified chemically recycled polymers

05 Jan 2024 --- Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has become the first Indian company to utilize chemical recycling to produce International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC)-Plus certified polymers named CircuRepol for PP and CircuRelene for PE.

The chemical recycling process transforms various plastic waste types into pyrolysis oil, which is then utilized for high-quality circular polymer production using continuous catalytic pyrolysis technology instead of the traditional thermal route.

The company’s Jamnagar Refinery, located in Gujarat, India, processes chemically recycled pyrolysis oil to produce ISCC-Plus certified circular polymers to process up to 600 tons per month, collaborating with partners to enhance production capabilities.

Long-term plans include establishing in-house technology plants, scaling up capacities and achieving an overall capacity of 1 million metric tons by 2030.

Solution for circularity?
Challenges related to the availability and consistent quality of chemically recycled oil and the costs of branded technologies are being addressed through R&D, infrastructure investment and strategic collaborations. RIL’s chemically recycled polymers can be used for food contact packaging applications. 

RIL anticipates a positive customer response as the demand for circular polymers is expected to rise with increased awareness and regulatory initiatives. The conglomerate says its introduction of CircuRepol and CircuRelene reflects RIL’s dedication to reducing plastic pollution and promoting a sustainable circular economy.

“RIL has developed a technology that turns different types of plastic — including single-use and multi-layered plastic waste — into pyrolysis oil. The company is working with trusted partners to increase the production of this oil and turn the yield into circular polymers,” details RIL. 

“Chemical recycling has many benefits, including turning plastic waste into high-quality materials for new plastic. These materials can be used for packaging that comes into contact with food.” 

Meanwhile, a recent Beyond Plastics and IPEN (the International Pollutants Elimination Network) report suggested that chemical recycling is “more of a marketing and lobbying tactic by the petrochemical industry than an effective solution to the problem of plastic waste.”

Packaging Insights has reached out to RIL for a comment.

Toward India’s “greener future”
Reliance is India’s largest private sector company with activities spanning hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, advanced materials and composites, renewables (solar and hydrogen), retail and digital services. 

The world’s largest integrated refining and petrochemical complex operator also has initiatives such as post-consumer PET bottle recycling reaching a capacity of five billion and its ReRoute program that uses end-of-life plastics for road construction.

“RIL paves the way in India by using new technology to recycle plastic by converting plastic waste into special circular polymers, thereby positively impacting the environment,” states the company.

“RIL’s commitment to sustainability is demonstrated through innovative methods like chemical recycling, which help create a circular economy. The company firmly believes in finding smart solutions to reduce plastic waste and inspire others to join in this journey toward a greener future.”

By Radhika Sikaria