#Recycling / Circular Economy

2021-10-21

Plastic Energy announces final investment decision and start of construction works for advanced recycling plant in France

Plastic Energy has today announced the final investment decision and start of construction for its advanced recycling plant in northern France. The large-scale recycling plant will have a capacity of 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste per annum, with plans to scale-up to 33,000 tonnes in the near future, and will be adjacent to ExxonMobil’s Notre Dame de Gravenchon petrochemical complex.

FID for advanced recycling project near Le Havre, France, has been reached after announcement of initial collaboration agreement with ExxonMobil in March 2021

Civil works have begun on the large-scale 25,000 tonne/annum recycling plant for end-of-life plastics, with start-up anticipated for 2023

Plans were finalised after the project was awarded the necessary environmental permits to begin construction in July

The announcement of the FID and start of civil works comes after the granting of environmental permits for the project in July of 2021. These permits ensure that the Plastic Energy plant will abide by all European environmental regulations from construction to continuous operation.

Earlier this year, Plastic Energy signed an offtake collaboration agreement with ExxonMobil. As per the agreement, TACOIL (or recycled oils) from this Plastic Energy plant will be used by ExxonMobil to create virgin-quality certified circular polymers and other high-value products. Start-up of the advanced recycling plant is anticipated in 2023.

Plastic Energy is a global leader in advanced recycling, specialising in recycling end-of-life plastics that would otherwise be destined for landfill, incineration or end up in the environment. The company’s patented, innovative technology transforms plastic waste into raw materials that can be used as a substitute for fossil oils in the manufacturing of virgin- quality food-grade packaging.

“We are excited to announce that construction is going ahead for our large-scale advanced recycling plant in France, which will recycle mixed post-consumer plastic waste,” said Carlos Monreal, Founder and CEO of Plastic Energy. “Through our collaboration with ExxonMobil, we are working towards making plastics more sustainable for the future.”

“ExxonMobil is investing in projects around the world that help society address the challenge of plastic waste in the environment,” said Loic Vivier, senior vice president of Performance Derivatives, ExxonMobil Chemical Company. “With the addition of well- designed policies and collaboration across industries, the advanced recycling opportunities we are evaluating and executing have the potential for large-scale, game-changing improvements to the circularity of plastic products.”

The construction of this plant will benefit the circular economy in France by diverting plastic waste from linear treatments, and reducing both plastic waste in the environment, and the depletion of natural resources.

This project has received financial support from the French government as part of their Plan de Relance and Regional Planning Grant Scheme.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Reju expands textile-to-textile recycling network with six international fabric manufacturers

Reju, a textile-to-textile regeneration company, is expanding its industrial network through collaborations with six fabric manufacturers in Europe and the Americas. The initiative aims to accelerate the integration of regenerated polyester into textile manufacturing and support the development of finished fabrics for commercial applications.

Trützschler expands technical service capabilities for spinning mills in Pakistan

Faster support, shorter downtime and advanced repair capabilities: customers across Pakistan can now benefit from the Trützschler Service Station at its new location in Lahore. By combining Trützschler service expertise with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, the new facility helps spinning mills resolve technical issues more quickly and maintain reliable production.

Stäubli to introduce new S3292 dobby for high-speed weaving at ITME India 2026

Stäubli will introduce its new S3292 dobby at ITME India 2026, taking place from December 4 to 9 at the India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Designed for high-speed air-jet weaving, the new machine will be among the highlights of the company's presentation, which also includes warp preparation systems, cam motions, Jacquard technologies and digital services.

DITF develops bio-based binding fibers for wood-fiber insulation materials

As part of the CelluWoodFlex project, the German Institutes of Textile- and Fiber-Research in Denkendorf (DITF) are developing bio-based cellulose ester fibers as alternative binding fibers for flexible wood fiber insulation materials. In addition to the spinning process and the production of suitable staple fibers, the institute is also investigating how wood and cellulose fibers can be separated and recycled at the end of their useful life.

Magnera highlights HighPleat™ filtration media technology at FiltXPO 2026

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Ahlstrom expands depth filtration media production capacity at US facility

Ahlstrom has completed a major investment in its Kingston manufacturing facility in New York, USA, expanding production capacity for high-performance depth filtration media. The modernization of Line 3 is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency, enhance quality control and increase flexibility in producing different product widths.