Repsol invests in the circular economy
Published by Bella Weetch,
Editorial Assistant
Hydrocarbon Engineering,
Repsol has taken another step forward in its commitment to the circular economy as the cornerstone of its transformation to become a company with zero net emissions by 2050.
The company will install a new recycled plastics production line (Reciclex range) with a capacity to manufacture 25 000 tpy at its Puertollano Industrial Complex, Spain, making this centre a benchmark for the circular economy in the Iberian Peninsula.
The new unit, which will come into operation at the end of 2024, will almost double the current capacity (16 000 tpy) and generate 200 direct, indirect and induced jobs throughout the different phases of construction, start-up and operation.
With an investment of €26 million, it will manufacture plastics used to produce rigid and flexible packaging for non-food use, such as cleaning product containers or product packaging sacks. Specifically, it will process high and low-density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE) with a recycled plastic content of 10% and 80%.
This investment is in line with recent European and Spanish regulations, which aim to achieve the recycled content target for plastics packaging of 30% by 2030.
The Puertollano Industrial Complex thus advances in its transformation process, becoming a reference centre in the recycling and recovery of plastic materials, to respond in a sustainable way to the new demands of society by generating high added-value products with a lower carbon footprint.
In addition to the new recycled plastic production line, Puertollano will start up the first polyurethane foam recovery plant this year in Spain and the Iberian Peninsula.
In addition to the investments in the Puertollano complex, the company's commitment to the circular economy has materialised with Repsol's entry as a shareholder in Acteco, an integrated waste management and recovery company, and in Enerkem, a leading technology company in waste gasification. In this way, Repsol provides its customers' technologies, including product eco-design, and mechanical and chemical recycling, to make the plastics and polyurethane foam sector more sustainable by offering essential products for society with high percentages of recycled material and, therefore, with a significant reduction in their carbon footprint.
Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/petrochemicals/07022023/repsol-invests-in-the-circular-economy/
You might also like
Five key takeaways from the AFPM Annual Meeting
Following the recent AFPM Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas, US, the AFPM has released a snapshot of some of the key themes discussed throughout the conference.