Repsol S.A. (Madrid, Spain) and French plastics recycler Acteco will implement a project to increase the capacity for production of high-quality recycled polyolefins at Acteco’s plant in Ibi, Alicante (Spain). The recycled product from this plant will be included in the Repsol Reciclex range, designed for high-value applications and those with high technical requirements. Thanks to this agreement, Repsol will benefit from Acteco’s more than 25 years of experience in the collection, processing, and mechanical recycling of plastics.
Additionally, it will contribute to the achievement of the objective, announced by Repsol at the end of 2019, to become a net zero emissions company by 2050. One of the ambitions in this area, which is driven by this project, is to recycle the equivalent of 20% of its polyolefin production by 2030. Repsol recently announced a significant decarbonization project related to green hydrogen and carbon capture, and also recently produced Spain’s first batches of bio-based aviation fuels.
The partnership with Acteco is one of more than 200 circular economy initiatives that Repsol has launched to contribute to its carbon intensity reduction objectives. Both entities have been working together since 2018 to promote new circular economy models through the recovery of polymers after the end of their useful lives and their re-incorporation into new high added-value products in sectors such as automotive, healthcare, construction and infrastructures, or packaging. This way, it is possible to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and decrease the consumption of raw materials used for manufacture of new products.
This new agreement reinforces the partnership and consolidates the commitment of both companies to the recycling of high quality polyethylene and polypropylene from domestic and industrial plastic waste.
In the words of José Luis Bernal, Executive Director of Repsol Chemicals, “this is a strategic alliance that allows us to collaborate in boosting the circular economy and solutions for decarbonization, to reach our commitments regarding recycled plastics and offer our customers a complete range of high quality circular polyolefins that will allow them to increase the amount of recycled materials in their products”.
Jorge Ramis, Managing Director of Acteco, says that “thanks to this agreement we will provide a solution for the large number of plastic products that currently cannot be recycled, thus offering circular models to sectors where plastic is an essential material for the development of the products.”