Having committed to the circular economy, Repsol is now steadily and methodically pursuing its sustainability goals.
In 2019, Repsol obtained ISCC plus certification for its Puertollano industrial complex, allowing the company to launch not only its first circular polyolefins by the end of that year, but also other products, such as circular styrene, polyols, and glycols.
Repsol has now taken the further step of obtaining certification for its other two petrochemical complexes, at Tarragona and Sines, in a bid to meet its commitment to incorporate recycled content into 20% of the polyolefins it produces by 2030.
In doing so, the company claims to have become the first petrochemical company to certify all its complexes for the production of circular polyolefins. The company has adopted a mass balance approach to realise its ambition, replacing part of the conventional raw material with oil from the chemical recycling of plastic waste not suitable for mechanical recycling.
Repsol first experimented with this approach in 2015, said José Luis Bernal, executive director at Repsol Química: “Our commitment to the circularity of our materials began long ago when in 2015 we began to experimentally feed oil from chemical recycling of plastic waste, becoming the first company to do it on an industrial scale.”
This waste, which would otherwise end up in the landfill, is used alongside conventional raw material, reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources. This certification guarantees the traceability of the plastic waste used at the source and, at the same time, offers the same quality and functionality of virgin polyolefins. This way, Repsol provides its customers with a portfolio of products with recycled material for applications that demand high standards of hygiene and safety, ideal for food packaging.