Attero and SABIC enter cooperation for supply of post-consumer recycled feedstock to drive plastics circularity

Attero and SABIC intend to develop a long-term cooperation to bring post-consumer plastic that today are being turned into energy, back into the value chain and help fast-moving consumer good (FMGC) companies with their ambition to apply recycled content in their applications and contribute to EU objectives on recycled materials content.

Attero operates the world’s largest post-separation plant that sorts plastic waste from municipal solid waste for recycling in Wijster, The Netherlands. The used plastics are sorted in Attero’s Packaging Sorting Plant into up to ten different streams. Attero is well experienced when it comes to flaking and washing of plastic streams for high quality recycling. Attero intends to expand its post-sorting capabilities to its location in Moerdijk, The Netherlands. Plastics that would otherwise be processed in Attero’s energy-from-waste facility will instead be post-separated with smart technologies and prepared as feedstock for advanced recycling, closing the loop on used plastics.

SABIC is committed to accelerate the circular carbon economy with its ambition to process one million metric tons (1000kt) of TRUCIRCLE™ solutions annually by 2030. Under this cooperation, SABIC will source used sorted plastic from Attero and convert it into pyrolysis oil using advanced recycling processes. The pyrolysis oil will then be processed in a newly built hydrotreater in Geleen, Netherlands, where it will be upgraded and used by SABIC as an alternative feedstock to naphtha to produce their flagship certified circular polymers, part of the company’s TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio.

“SABIC is committed to cooperate across the value chain in order to accelerate the transformation toward a circular economy for plastics, as evidenced by this promising new agreement with Attero”, said Sanjay Mishra, General Manager, Engineering Thermoplastics & Performance Polymers at SABIC. “SABIC is proud to keep building momentum in driving circularity as shown by our world-first commercial advanced recycling unit, now in the final stages of construction in Geleen, The Netherlands”.

Paul Ganzeboom, CEO of Attero stated: “Attero is committed to be at the forefront of circular economy and further decarbonize its operations in waste-to-materials and waste-to-energy. Municipalities and companies for whom we process their residual waste on our locations in Wijster and Moerdijk will benefit from the most sustainable processing available in the market. We welcome this strategic partnership with SABIC as an important step in adding value to circular packaging and reducing carbon emissions”.

Attero and SABIC will closely work together in this cooperation to jointly develop the business case for this optimized circular plastics supply chain.

About SABIC

SABIC is a global diversified chemicals company, headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It manufactures on a global scale in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, making distinctly different kinds of products: chemicals, commodity and high performance plastics, and agri-nutrients.

SABIC supports its customers by identifying and developing opportunities in key end-use applications such as Automotive, Hygiene & Healthcare, Electrical & Electronics, Packaging, Agriculture, Consumer Products, and Building & Construction.

SABIC recorded a net income of SAR 1.3 billion (US$ 0.35billion) in 2023. Sales revenues for 2023 totaled SAR 141.5 billion (US$ 37.7 billion). Total assets stood at SAR 294.4 billion (US$ 78.5 billion) at the end of 2023. Production in 2023 stood at 53.5 million metric tons.

The company has close to 29,000 employees worldwide, serving customers in more than 140 countries. Fostering innovation and a spirit of ingenuity, SABIC has 11,070 patents and pending applications, and has significant research resources with innovation hubs in five key geographies – USA, Europe, Middle East, South Asia and North Asia.

About Attero

Attero is a leading Dutch waste management and circular economy platform. Founded in 1929 and headquartered in Wilp, The Netherlands, Attero has approximately 750 employees. Attero treats c. 3.7 million tons of waste per year in two Energy from Waste plants, three recycling plants, six anaerobic digestion facilities, seven composting facilities and ten Inert Mineral Deposit sites.

Attero sources waste from a diverse mix of domestic municipalities, commercial and industrial customers, as well as exporters. Attero continues to invest in innovations and partnerships to retrieve maximum secondary resources and renewable energy from waste streams to avoid resources depletion and to reduce climate change.

Attero is owned by Ardian, a world-leading private investment house. Its main shareholding group is its employees. Ardian manages or advises $166bn of assets across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Middle East, on behalf of more than 1,600 clients globally. Ardian supports investments in Attero to make the company even more sustainable and to help realize its move towards net zero.