Under the deal, Versalis acquired the exclusive license to construct an advanced mechanical recycling unit for selected post-consumer plastics from waste sorting, especially polystyrene and high-density polyethylene
Versalis and Forever Plast enter into new agreement to transform the Porto Marghera industrial site. (Credit: Eni S.p.A.)
Eni’s chemical division Versalis and Italy-based post-consumer plastics recycler Forever Plast have entered into a new agreement to transform the Porto Marghera industrial site.
Under the deal, Versalis acquired the exclusive license to construct an advanced mechanical recycling unit for selected post-consumer plastics from waste sorting, especially polystyrene and high-density polyethylene.
The Forever Plast’s license will enable Versalis to expand its product line from recycled raw materials.
It will also help to maintain its position in Europe’s mechanical recycling of polystyrene for high-value applications like food packaging.
Scheduled to be operational in 2024, the facility will be located at the petrochemical site of Porto Marghera and will have a capacity of 50,000 tonnes a year of pre-sorted waste, from which it will make recycled polymer compounds.
The contract with Forever Plast will also be extended as part of the latest agreement, ensuring the volumes needed for Versalis to expand its line of recycled products.
In 2020, the firm began a partnership to develop polystyrene compounds under the Versalis Revive brand for food packaging, thermal insulation, and the electrical industry with up to 75% recycled material.
Versalis CEO Adriano Alfani said: “With this agreement, we aim to strengthen the transformation of Porto Marghera; a strategic site to achieve our sustainability goals.
“The strength and innovativeness of this technology is in the potential it offers to recycle plastics for the food packaging market, which poses the greatest challenge in reaching circularity, and consolidates our European leadership in polymer recycling.”
Versalis began building a mechanical recycling hub at Porto Marghera in 2021 after purchasing Ecoplastic’s technology and infrastructure, which employs pre-treated expanded polystyrene-based raw material as feedstock.
All the activities related to the project, including the authorisation process, are currently in progress.
Last month, the company announced two new projects to shift to circular industrial packaging.