INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe has initiated the production of virgin-quality recycled plastics at its Lavera facility in Southern France, marking a major step forward in its circular economy strategy. The company recently received its first deliveries of pyrolysis oil—an innovative feedstock derived from hard-to-recycle plastic waste—which will be used to produce recycled polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
This milestone supports the European Union’s upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which mandates a minimum of 10% recycled content in plastic packaging for food contact, healthcare, and other sensitive applications by 2030. The new polymers produced from this process will help customers meet those requirements across critical applications such as caps and closures, milk bottles, and water pipes.
To enable this breakthrough, part of the Lavera steam cracker was modified to process not only traditional fossil-based feedstocks but also renewable naphtha and pyrolysis oil derived from biomass, organic waste, and plastic packaging that cannot be mechanically recycled. The pyrolysis oil is produced in Europe using advanced recycling technology, which thermochemically transforms plastic waste into a liquid hydrocarbon that serves as a substitute for fossil-based feedstock.
This feedstock is cracked into recycled ethylene and propylene, which are then polymerized into recycled PE and PP at INEOS facilities in Lavera and Sarralbe, France, as well as Rosignano, Italy. All materials produced using this feedstock are certified under the ISCC PLUS scheme. This ensures full traceability of recycled and renewable content through mass balance accounting, affirming the integrity of sustainability claims.
According to INEOS, advanced recycling is a vital complement to mechanical recycling, particularly when it comes to creating high-performance materials that demand virgin-quality standards. The technology not only expands the range of plastics that can be recycled but also allows for infinite recyclability, keeping plastic waste out of landfills and incinerators while reducing dependence on fossil resources.
The Lavera site, located 30 miles west of Marseille, is one of Europe’s largest petrochemical complexes and has been fully owned by INEOS since April 2024. Commenting on the launch, Rob Ingram, CEO of INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe, stated:
“Delivering a circular economy requires both ambition and real action. By converting our Lavera cracker and securing access to advanced recycled feedstocks, we’re building the capacity to produce virgin-quality recycled polymers that align with the EU’s sustainability objectives. We are committed to accelerating circularity by working with partners and offering innovative solutions like Recycl-IN hybrid polymers and fully recyclable MDO films.”
INEOS’s initiative exemplifies how innovation and infrastructure adaptation can enable sustainable progress in the plastics industry.
