Yvonne van der Laan, executive vice president of circular and low carbon solutions at LyondellBasell (LYB), has been awarded the Winthrop-Sears medal by The Chemists' Club.
Established in 1970, the Winthrop-Sears medal recognises individuals whose entrepreneurial achievements have contributed to the vitality of the chemical industry and the betterment of humanity.
"I am proud to accept this medal on behalf of my wonderful colleagues at LyondellBasell," van der Laan said during the ceremony held on Dec. 5 in New York City. "While they may not be here with us tonight, I want them to know this award is a celebration of their invaluable contributions to sustainable innovation."
Van der Laan pointed to LYB’s development of its chemical recycling technology MoReTec as evidence that the company is working ‘to lead the transition toward a more circular economy’.
LYB recently laid the foundation for the first commercial-scale MoReTec unit at its Wesseling plant in Germany.
The industrial-scale facility is expected to have an annual capacity of 50,000 tonnes and is designed to recycle the amount of plastic packaging waste generated by over 1.2 million German citizens per year. Construction is planned to be completed by the end of 2025 with start-up expected in 2026.
LYB is investing a three-digit million euro sum in Wesseling. It says the plant will be the first commercial scale, single-train chemical recycling plant to convert post-consumer plastic waste into feedstock for production of new plastic materials that can be ran at net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
In a recent interview with Sustainable Plastics, Van der Laan said that the plant is ‘very important for several reasons’.
“It shows that as a company, we’ve taken that [investment] decision ahead of the final text on chemical recycling and mass balance in the PPWR,” she explained. “What is also telling is that the European Innovation Fund granted us €40 million already last year. And the speech of the Chancellor, which has publicised in many media, is also stressing the political support for investments like this and how important they are for the chemical cluster in Germany.”
Since its establishment in 2022, the LYB circular and low carbon solutions business has been building a network for global supplies of recycled and renewable feedstocks, along with sortation and mechanical recycling capabilities. Recent acquisitions include the solvent-based recycling company APK in Germany and a mechanical recycling facility in Jurupa Valley, California.
“Yvonne’s achievements are a testament to the dedication and pioneering spirit of LyondellBasell in sustainable innovation,” said Dr. Roland Stefandl, president of The Chemists’ Club. “The Winthrop-Sears medal recognises those who positively impact society through chemistry, and Yvonne exemplifies this, demonstrating LyondellBasell’s leadership in advancing essential lower-carbon solutions.”
Other awardees of the Winthrop-Sears medal include Mario Nappa (Chemours), George Corbin (Solvay), John Panicell (Solenis), Heinz Holler (The Dow Chemical Company), and Scott Power (Dupont).