Page 69 - Plastics News August - 2023

IN THE NEWS

pyrolysis. However, polyolefins can important that politics steer devel- plants and much more, something
be processed very well in mechani- opments in such a way as to enable a that will become very expensive. And
cal recycling. This type of recycling permanently sensible future utilisation that is one of the reasons why I am
is ecologically much more sensible of chemical recycling, with the assur- convinced that mechanical recycling
because the plastics remain intact in ance that mechanical and chemical re- will always be cheaper than chemical
their composite structure. Firstly, no cycling complement each other opti- recycling. That's why the main mate-
material is destroyed, and secondly, mally. This would mean, for example, rial flows will go into mechanical re-
fewer resources, less energy and less that polyolefins are not chemically cycling. Still, policymakers have to be
water are required for reprocessing. recycled. Once again, cannibalisation careful not to make mistakes in that
If chemical recyclers now also use the would be the worst solution, because regard.
material that the mechanical recyclers it would lead to environmental dam- What’s your view on quotas for
can process very well, this will lead to age. the use of recycled material?
a cannibalisation of the material flows. To what extent does chemical re-
This must be prevented at all costs. I am absolutely in favour of a product-
cycling affect Sutco's business? related recyclate input quota. It will
With which approach?
It does not affect our business model; boost the market for recyclates enor-
It is the task of politics to prevent this. on the contrary, as Sutco builds sort- mously, and thereby also ensure that
In principle, there is a legally defined ing plants, which are absolutely nec- the material flows become greater.
five-level waste hierarchy. Mechanical essary in mechanical recycling before Subsequently, anyone who produces a
recycling is of higher value than chem- the actual processing of the material, hair shampoo, for example, must en-
ical recycling. This principle must not but are also indispensable for chemi- sure that their packaging bottle has the
be disrupted. Efforts to sync mechani- cal recycling. We have already re- specified recycled content. In return,
cal and chemical recycling are already ceived several enquiries. they have to pay the supplier the re-
underway; however, in my view, this How will chemical recycling de- quested price. When supply becomes
is very dangerous, as it would have a velop? scarce, prices will rise. This creates
considerably negative impact on the a pull from the market into recycled
environment. However, the environ- Chemical recyclers are currently in plastics, and consequently more will
ment must always be the main prior- a pilot phase. The procedures are all be invested in recycling plants. If you
ity. only running on a small scale. Some plan a sorting plant and a processing
plants have a capacity of maybe 10,000 plant today, you have to be able to
Isn't the lack of economic viability tonnes a year. By comparison, we are expect a continuous input over sev-
thwarting the progress of chemi- building sorting plants for 100,000 eral years and a continuous output at
cal recycling?
tonnes today. Chemical recyclers will a reasonably constant price. Then the
From today's perspective, large-scale face problems that many don't even material quantities also increase. That
chemical recycling may not be eco- see yet. On a small scale, they often is why recyclate quotas are so impor-
nomical, but that could all change in don't even materialise. One example tant. But at the same time, policymak-
the years ahead. Ten years ago, you is the treatment of foreign elements ers must see to it that chemical recy-
wouldn't have thought that you could like sulphur or nitrogen. At 5,000 cling does not absorb these material
get more money for recyclates than tonnes a year, the end product is still quantities. These are their two main
for virgin material. What we call un- acceptable. At 100,000 tonnes, you tasks. If they can manage that, then
economical today may well prove suddenly have a large waste stream many things will become feasible.
to be economical in the future given that has to be treated, resulting in the
a different political framework. It is necessity to build desulphurisation

PLASTICS NEWS 6969
August 2023
August 2023 PLASTICS NEWS