Ahead of ESF Europe 2023, Benny Mermans, Vice President Sustainability at Chevron Phillips Chemical, CPChem, Chairman of the World Plastics Council (WPC) and Vice President of the Plastics Europe Steering Board gave us some quick-fire answers on how the plastics industry and CPChem are helping to accelerate change for a sustainable future.
1. In Europe, it is estimated that 38% of plastic waste is recycled. What can the industry do to increase this percentage and therefore increase circularity within the plastics economy?
Waste plastics do not belong in the environment, they are a very valuable resource that should be captured. Over the recent years, a positive trend towards higher circularity emerged. According to the recently published “The Circular Economy for Plastics” report by Plastics Europe, the quantity of recycled plastics used in packaging increased by 45% compared to 2018. Still today 65% of plastic waste is not yet valorised in a circular economy. Collaboration from all stakeholders involved in the plastics industry will be crucial to improve this number, at every step of the value chain: from design for recycling to collecting and sorting infrastructure, from guiding policies to consumer engagement.
2. Chevron Phillips Chemical announced in 2022 its investment into the Infinity Recycling’s Circular Plastics Fund, how important are investments like these for CPChem’s commitment to sustainability?
Infinity Recycling’s Circular Plastics Fund aims to accelerate the transition from a linear to a circular plastic economy by investing in advanced recycling technologies. At CPChem, we believe that advanced recycling technologies, that are complementary to mechanical recycling, are expected to play a key role in the development of a sustainable, circular economy for plastics. We recently announced commercial sales of Marlex® Anew™ circular polyethylene resin made from pyrolysis oils, a feedstock made from hard-to-recycle plastics.
3. What do you envision the plastics industry will look like by 2030?
The industry has a vision to create a fully circular economy for plastics, where used plastic is recycled, reused, or repurposed. According to the SystemIQ Reshaping Plastics Report, circularity levers are the fastest, most affordable, most effective and most reliable method of reducing GHG and waste disposal in the system, and the plastics system could achieve 78% circularity by 2050 through recycling, reduction and substitution. The next few years are a critical window for action, the decisions taken in the early 2020s will determine the future of our industry. As an industry we are committed to producing life-enriching products sustainably, leaving behind the lightest possible footprint.
4. Finally, what do you hope the discussion from a conference like ESF Europe will help the industry to achieve over - the next 12 months?
As mentioned above, collaboration from all stakeholders involved in the value chain is critical to help create a circular economy for plastics. I hope that ESF Europe enables discussions to support that much-needed collaboration and allows the plastics industry to demonstrate it has clear goals and wants to maintain a leading role in the future of Europe.
Would you like to hear more?
With an impressive panel of key industry leaders, Benny Mermans will discuss and explore the challenges and opportunities available for the industry to transform plastic waste into a commodity at the upcoming ESF Europe, 20-22 February 2023, Amsterdam.