BELGIUM – PureCycle Technologies, Inc. has announced the signing of the Antwerp Declaration for a European Industrial Deal by its European affiliate, PureCycle Belgium BV.
The Declaration, unveiled during the European Industry summit, aims to bolster Europe’s production industry and foster industrial innovation.
PureCycle Belgium echoes the Declaration’s objectives of promoting industrial innovation, investment, high-quality employment, and climate ambitions, aligning with the EU’s Green Deal to ensure Europe’s economic competitiveness.
PureCycle’s upcoming plastics recycling facility in Antwerp’s NextGen District is poised to address several Calls-to-Action outlined in the Declaration, particularly enhancing recycling infrastructure and providing consumers with low-carbon, circular products.
Dustin Olson, CEO of PureCycle, emphasizes the importance of a robust industry sector in Europe for driving sustainable innovation and climate solutions, echoing sentiments shared with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
Wiebe Schipper, PureCycle’s VP of European Operations, expresses satisfaction with the initiative, noting the growing number of signatories and PureCycle’s readiness to contribute to the objectives of both the European Industrial and Green Deals.
The company is advancing plans for a polypropylene purification plant in Antwerp, focusing on engineering, permit applications, and securing funding.
Once operational, the facility is projected to achieve significant energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions reductions compared to traditional plastics production methods.
Meanwhile, last November, DNV performed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of PureCycle’s polypropylene (PP) solvent-based recycling plant, which will be built in Antwerp, Belgium. The LCA followed the ISO-14040/44 framework.
Based on the estimates from PureCycle’s flagship facility in Ironton, Ohio, and the energy grid in Belgium, the study found that the port of Antwerp facility will consume 86% less energy than global virgin PP production.
Assessment data also indicates that the European facility is expected to reduce green-house gas emissions by 61% and reduce fossil-based resource usage by 64% when compared to virgin plastic.
“DNV’s LCA study shows that PureCycle’s future Antwerp plant, after incorporating the learnings from Ironton, should be much more carbon efficient than virgin plastic production,” said PureCycle’s VP of european operations Wiebe Schipper.
“What I also like about DNV’s work is that it identifies focus areas for us to further enhance the carbon, energy and resource efficiency of our Antwerp operations,” he added, without disclosing the areas to be improved.
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