ChemAnalyst interviewed Ian Temperton, CEO of Plastic Energy, on how the company is advancing chemical recycling with innovations like TACFILLER™ and TACOIL™. These technologies are accelerating circularity and decarbonization across global industrial value chains.
Plastic Energy, a global leader in chemical recycling, is transforming unrecyclable plastic waste into TACOIL™—a circular feedstock for virgin-quality recycled plastics. The company is expanding its portfolio with innovations like TACFILLER™, a low-carbon alternative to carbon black, driving the global shift toward circular and sustainable materials. ChemAnalyst spoke with Ian Temperton, CEO of Plastic Energy, about his professional journey, the development of TACFILLER™, the company’s role in decarbonizing industrial value chains, and how digital innovation and partnerships are driving the next phase of growth in chemical recycling.
Complete Interview with Ian Temperton
Q: Please provide an overview of your professional journey and leadership experience in the energy and recycling sectors. How have these experiences shaped your strategic vision as CEO of Plastic Energy in advancing chemical recycling and circular innovation globally?
Ian Temperton: My career has always been at the intersection of energy and sustainability. I started out in the energy sector, working on large-scale industrial projects, before moving into recycling and circular economy ventures. That combination of understanding both the realities of heavy industry and the need for innovation in waste management has helped shape my vision for Plastic Energy’s growth. I see chemical recycling as playing a crucial role in decarbonisation: creating a genuinely circular system for plastics that cannot otherwise be recycled. At Plastic Energy we now have a technology that works at a commercial level and is ready to scale, and my role is to turn that into global impact.
Q: Plastic Energy has pioneered the commercialization of TACFILLER, a byproduct from its proprietary TAC™ process. What inspired the company to explore “char” valorization, and how did this development evolve from R&D concept to a market-ready product?
Ian Temperton: Every pyrolysis process produces some form of solid carbon-based byproduct (often referred to as “char”). It’s usually treated as waste and landfilled. But we saw an opportunity: if we could refine and commercialise that residue, it could become a valuable product in its own right, making our overall process more circular. After years of R&D and trials at our plant in Spain, our team developed TACFILLER, a circular alternative to carbon black. It turns a waste stream into something valuable, and it gives the rubber and tyre industry lower-carbon replacement for one of their most carbon-intensive inputs. It is a testament to the continuous innovation we are focused on at Plastic Energy.
Q: TACFILLER is positioned as a sustainable alternative to carbon black, achieving up to 89% lower carbon emissions. Could you elaborate on the technology and lifecycle assessment that underpin this achievement and its potential impact on the rubber industry?
Ian Temperton: Our independent, ISO-compliant lifecycle assessment shows that the TACTM process delivers a 78% emissions reduction compared with incineration with energy recovery. In addition to this, we produce TACOILTM, a replacement for virgin oils in plastic production, and now TACFILLER, a replacement for carbon black. An initial assessment for TACFILLER indicates up to 89% emissions reductions compared with fossil-based carbon black. Carbon black production today emits between 29 and 79 million tonnes of CO2 annually, so even replacing a fraction of that would be significant.
Q: The rubber and automotive industries are under increasing pressure to meet EU directives and reduce lifecycle emissions. How does TACFILLER align with these regulations, and what role do you envision it playing in helping manufacturers meet recycled content and carbon reduction targets?
Ian Temperton: European regulators are focused on reducing waste and emissions from the rubber and automotive sector. TACFILLER is a means to reduce carbon emissions while increasing the recycled content of rubber. It is REACH-registered, produced entirely from post-consumer plastics, and it substitutes a fossil-based product with a circular one. For manufacturers, it is not just about compliance – it is about future-proofing supply chains and clearly demonstrating to both regulators and customers that there is a concerted effort to reduce environmental impact.
Q: Plastic Energy’s proprietary TAC™ chemical recycling process converts hard-to-recycle plastics into TACOIL™. How does integrating TACFILLER extend the circularity and overall material recovery rate of this process?
Ian Temperton: Our aspiration is for our process to be fully circular – that means getting as close to a 100% recycling rate as possible. The valorisation of TACFILLER takes our recycling rate to close to 90%. That’s a genuine breakthrough in circularity, maximising the value of every tonne of plastic waste we process.
Q: The collaboration with Standard Profil demonstrates early adoption of TACFILLER in commercial applications. Can you share insights from this partnership and how industry validation influences large-scale deployment?
Ian Temperton: Industry partnerships are essential – we are lucky to be working with several leading players in the rubber industry, including Standard Profil. These customers have undertaken rigorous testing of our TACFILLER to ensure that it meets their standards in terms of quality and performance. That kind of validation is critical in industries like automotive, where performance and safety standards are non-negotiable. It gives confidence to other manufacturers that TACFILLER is a viable solution.
Q: Plastic Energy’s innovation directly contributes to decarbonizing industrial value chains by offering circular raw materials. How do you balance sustainability goals with commercial viability to ensure both environmental and economic success?
Ian Temperton: Our aim is to maximise the economic and environmental value of our technology, to deliver the best possible financial return on investment while minimising our environmental footprint. We do not see environmental integrity as a trade-off against financial performance – quite the opposite. Due to evolving legislation – like the EU ETS and the Packaging and Packaging Waste and End-of-Life Vehicle directives – financial and environmental interests are increasingly being aligned. This is the right approach for business and for the planet.
Q: Carbon black contributes 29–79 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions globally each year. What scale of emission reduction do you foresee TACFILLER enabling across the rubber and automotive sectors if adopted widely?
Ian Temperton: Carbon black is responsible for tens of millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. The scale of the opportunity is vast, and because demand for tyres and rubber is only growing, the need for a sustainable alternative is becoming more urgent every year.
Q: Plastic Energy operates at the intersection of waste management, recycling, and advanced material innovation. How is the company leveraging digital tools, lifecycle analytics, or market intelligence to enhance process efficiency and material traceability?
Ian Temperton: Our expertise in digital services and innovation is a core part of our intellectual property. Through 10 years of operations, we have built up the leading databank in the industry on chemical recycling, which we use to generate insights to continuously evolve and improve our technology. We have our own proprietary automated operating software for the TACTM process which leverages this data.
Digital innovation helps us to accelerate learning, research and development. For example, we are building digital twins of our plants which allow us to test innovations virtually before deploying them on the ground. Lifecycle analytics help us benchmark and improve emissions performance, making our operations more transparent and accountable. For us, digitalisation is not an add-on, it is core to scaling chemical recycling reliably and credibly.
Q: Looking ahead, what is your vision for Plastic Energy’s next phase of growth? Are there plans to expand applications of TACFILLER or replicate this circular model across other high-impact industries such as construction, coatings, or textiles?
Ian Temperton: With TACOIL™ we are closing the loop for plastic packaging and products; with TACFILLER we are now providing a sustainable solution in tyres and rubber. The next phase for Plastic Energy is about scaling: we have new plants in France and the Netherlands currently in commissioning stage; licensing partnerships globally; and are expanding the applications of our products so that circularity becomes the default, rather than exception.
ChemAnalyst Insights on Carbon Black
In Europe, Carbon Black prices declined sharply in Q3 2025, driven primarily by weak demand from the tyre and rubber sectors. Distributors reduced offers to clear high warehouse inventories, while manufacturers adjusted domestic pricing in line with easing production costs. Lower natural gas and coal tar prices further reduced cost pressures, contributing to the downward trend. Despite intermittent port and rail congestion affecting deliveries, improved freight parity and increased import competition added to pricing weakness. Overall, the Carbon Black market remained oversupplied, with limited restocking activity and muted procurement from original equipment manufacturers, keeping the demand outlook subdued across the region.
