Neste and Ravago cancel Dutch chemical recycling project; Neste shifts focus to expanding plastic waste processing at its Finnish refinery.
Neste, the Finnish chemical recycler, and Ravago, a Belgian supplier of plastic materials, have officially abandoned their joint plan to construct a chemical recycling plant in Vlissingen, the Netherlands. Originally announced in 2021, the project aimed to utilize pyrolysis technology to recycle approximately 55,000 tons of mixed plastic waste annually. This facility was to be developed using technology from the U.S.-based company Alterra Energy, in which both Neste and Ravago hold minority stakes.
However, despite the early promise of the project and the established partnership between Neste and Ravago dating back to 2019, the initiative will not proceed. According to Sustainable Plastics, the project did not reach the stage of final investment decision (FID) readiness, leading to its cancellation. The failure to meet this key financial and planning milestone was a significant factor in the decision to terminate the project.
Initially, the Neste-Ravago collaboration aimed to chemically recycle over 200,000 tons of plastic waste annually. This ambition marked a significant step toward addressing the global challenge of plastic waste through advanced recycling technologies. While the Vlissingen project has now been shelved, both companies remain active in the field of plastic waste processing.
Neste, in particular, continues to invest in scaling up its recycling capabilities. In 2024, the company processed about 6,000 tons of liquefied plastic waste at its refinery in Porvoo, Finland. To expand this capacity, Neste has announced a €111 million investment, targeting a significant scale-up to 150,000 tons per year at the same facility. This expansion forms part of Neste’s broader sustainability strategy, which includes a long-term goal of processing over one million tons of plastic waste annually by 2030.
In addition to its work in Finland, Neste has secured the European rights to Alterra Energy’s liquefaction technology. Despite this acquisition, no additional processing capacity has yet been established using this technology in the region.
While the termination of the Dutch project represents a setback for the Neste-Ravago partnership, it reflects the broader challenges facing chemical recycling at scale, including technological feasibility, economic viability, and regulatory complexity. Nevertheless, Neste's continued investments in alternative sites and its commitment to scale up processing volumes signal its ongoing pursuit of innovation in plastic waste recycling.
As industry stakeholders look to advanced recycling to support circular economy goals, the experience of Neste and Ravago underscores both the opportunities and hurdles in making chemical recycling commercially viable and scalable across Europe and beyond.
