ROTTERDAM, The 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 packaging waste post-commercial flexible secondaries. The joint venture, LMF Nord GmbH, plans to build a mechanical recycling plant in northern Germany to convert linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) waste into quality recycled plastic materials for use in flexible packaging. The start of production is expected in early 2025.
Secondary plastic packaging, such as stretch or shrink film, is primarily used to hold packaged consumer goods together and protect them from contamination and damage during transport and storage. To this day, this material is difficult to recycle into high-quality raw materials that can meet the packaging industry’s requirements for strength and transparency of its final product.
“This joint venture will provide recycled LDPE and LLDPE materials and will complement our existing CirculenRecover range of high-density polyethylene and polypropylene products,” said Yvonne van der Laan, LyondellBasell’s Executive Vice President Low Carbon and Circular Solutions. “It adds to our efforts in advanced recycling and meets our integrated hub strategy, where we invest upstream to provide raw material from various plastic waste streams. With this comprehensive and efficient suite of solutions, we continue to be the partner of choice of our clients”.
The new recycling unit is expected to produce 26,000 tonnes per year of recycled LDPE and LLDPE grades that LyondellBasell will market through its CirculenRecover family of products for use in a variety of applications from stretch films to interleaf shrink films. The CirculenRecover family of products comprises a wide range of mechanically recycled materials currently used in applications ranging from household appliances to laundry detergent bottles and luggage.
TM Recycling GmbH, a sister company of AFA Nord, will be responsible for providing the raw material for LMF Nord GmbH. TM Recycling is also a member of the Mensing Group.
“We have already operated Germany’s only agricultural film recycling plant for several years and have extensive experience in the production of recycled materials,” explained 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 Lyondell Basell
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 low-carbon, circular economy. In everything we do, we aim to create value for our customers, investors and society. As one of the world’s largest polymer producers and a leader in polyolefin technologies, we develop, manufacture and market high-quality, innovative products for applications ranging from sustainable transportation and food safety to clean water and quality healthcare. For more information, visit www.lyondellbasell.com or follow @LyondellBasell on LinkedIn.
About AFA Nord AFA Nord is an LDPE/LLDPE recycling company, specializing in the recycling of highly contaminated LDPE films from the construction and agricultural industries. We provide a “real” closed loop, collecting the films directly from the farms, recycling them and producing pellets that our partners turn into new films; then we sell the film back 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 for providing the raw material for LMF Nord GmbH.
LyondellBasell Forward Looking Statement
Statements in this release relating to matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions by LyondellBasell’s management 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 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 website at www.sec.gov.
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