Monthly News from the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), November 2025In November, RCI held its General Assembly in Cologne and attended the well-received partner event “Advanced Recycling Conference”. RCI looks forward to its free 9 December webinar on 2025 achievements and 2026 plans, is actively seeking a forestry expert for our sustainable feedstock project, welcomed new partner kunststoffland NRW (DE), and will showcase RCI members at the 10th European Chemistry Partnering in February 2026.
RCI General Assembly 2025 – Highlights
The RCI held its annual General Assembly on 3 to 4 November at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cologne over 50 participants in person and more online. Over two days, members exchanged insights and discussed the future of the renewable carbon economy.
2025 Achievements
In 2025, RCI published five major science-based background reports on topics like biomass availability, life cycle assessment, and policy proposals to support the transformation to renewable carbon. Together with TÜV Austria, the launch of the “OK renewable” label was a highlight. Membership grew to 79 companies, including prominent new names like L’Oréal and Mercedes-Benz and exciting innovators like Blue Circle Olefins and Loop CO2.
Projects for 2026
Nineteen project proposals for 2026 were presented and discussed at the General Assembly, and members could consequentially select their preferred priorities. RCI will work to realise the top-ranked proposals, so stay tuned to see what’s coming in 2026. Join our upcoming webinar on 9 December to also get a brief preview for projects in 2026 (see webinar below).
The second day focused on introducing new and connecting all members further, and featured member presentations on innovations and market developments, including sustainable tires, EU incentives, and methanol.
Upcoming Free Webinar: Success Stories RCI 2025 and Outlook to 2026 – Project results and position papers
On 9 December, RCI will host a free public webinar, where we want to look back at major publications and success stories of 2025 and provide an outlook to 2026. A focus will be on the five major science-based background reports that we published this year:
- Biomass demand for transport fuels, aviation, shipping and chemical supply up to 2050
- Is there enough biomass to defossilise chemicals and materials by 2050? (Joint BIC & RCI report)
- Evaluating LCA approaches for renewable carbon
- RCI policy proposals to support the renewable carbon transition
- Increased methane emissions in oil and gas supply and implications for petrochemicals
RCI executive managers Christopher vom Berg and Michael Carus will summarise these reports, their relevance for the EU green transition, and provide both further success stories of the year and an update on ongoing and potentially upcoming projects.
Date: 9 December 2025, 14:00 to 15:00 h (CET)
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_caM65VzNTlKeQGxPlUeExg
Latest Free Webinar: New RCI Study Reveals Hidden Impact of Methane Emissions in Fossil Feedstocks
On 13 November, 96 participants registered for RCI’s free webinar on the recently released scientific RCI background report “Increased Methane Emissions in Crude Oil and Natural Gas Supply: Implications for the Carbon Footprint of Petrochemicals”. The study was presented by Ángel Puente from nova-Institute, who was primarily responsible for its development.
The webinar was well received, with many thoughtful questions from the audience and lively discussions.
Access the report here: https://renewable-carbon.eu/publications/product/increased-methane-emissions-in-crude-oil-and-natural-gas-supply-implications-for-the-carbon-footprint-of-petrochemicals-an-rci-report-pdf/
RCI is Looking for Forestry Expert for Current Project
RCI is seeking an experienced forestry expert to join our ongoing project on sustainable feedstock sourcing and biodiversity protection titled “Exploring Sustainable Feedstock Sources and Biodiversity Protection”. The project explores how sustainable biomass production for the chemical industry can be achieved while protecting biodiversity, with a particular focus on Scandinavia, especially Finland and Norway.
We are looking for someone with expertise in biodiversity-friendly or regenerative forestry, familiarity with AI-assisted forestry approaches, the ability to balance biomass yield with biodiversity requirements, and a solid understanding of EU forestry policies.
The expert will collaborate with our team to review and refine a set of forestry measures, evaluate their impact on biodiversity and biomass yield, and contribute to the final project report. The work is compensated and offers opportunities to connect with policy experts, brands, biomass suppliers, and industry stakeholders.
If you are interested in working with us, please contact Anke Schwarzenberger (anke.schwarzenberger@renewable-carbon-initiative.com) and Michael Carus (michael.carus@renewable-carbon-initiative.com).
See RCI Members Pitch at the 10th European Chemistry Partnering (ECP)!
The RCI will be hosting a dedicated pitch session at the 10th European Chemistry Partnering (ECP) in Frankfurt/Main on 4 February 2026 – the leading industry “speed-dating” event for the chemical sector.
This is a unique opportunity to see RCI member companies present their innovations and connect with key players across the chemical value chain. Previous RCI participants include Greenlyte, Fibenol, Colipi, BioBTX, CovationBio, and AllocNow.
ECP also features keynotes, panels, and workshops, providing a comprehensive platform for insights, collaboration, and networking.
More information on the ECP: https://www.european-chemistry-partnering.com/10thECP
Meet CO₂ Value Europe – a partner of the RCI
We spoke with Célia Sapart, Scientific Director at CO₂ Value Europe, an international non-profit representing Europe’s Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) value chain. As a partner of the RCI, they support our mission to defossilise the chemical and materials industry.
In the interview, they highlighted that CCU not only captures CO₂ but converts it into fuels, chemicals, and building materials, helping high-carbon sectors like aviation, shipping, and construction replace fossil feedstocks. They also stressed that effective climate action requires both CCU and CCS, supported by renewable energy, market incentives, and robust life-cycle assessments.
The key message: the path forward is not just reducing emissions but it’s turning carbon into a resource for a circular economy.
Read the full interview here: https://renewable-carbon-initiative.com/network/partner-info/?company=CO2%20Value%20Europe
Advanced Recycling Conference 2025
The “Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC)” on 19 to 20 November 2025, of which RCI is a partner, provided an essential overview and many in-depth insights to 217 attendees from 28 countries into the available advanced recycling technologies for various streams of different plastics wastes, as well as into political topics and environmental impacts. The ARC brought together technology providers, related industries, waste management companies, brands and investors as well as policy makers and scientists active in the versatile and interdisciplinary field of recycling. By bringing together this multitude of relevant topics and experts, the event provided a critical meeting point to explore new partnerships, ideas, approaches, and value chains.
More information: https://advanced-recycling.eu
New RCI member
Blue Circle Olefins (NL) is a startup dedicated to defossilising the chemical industry by building a commercial plant in the Netherlands to turn renewable or waste-derived methanol into 100% circular olefins, specifically ethylene and propylene – key building blocks for plastics and chemicals. Using the methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process with sustainable feedstocks, they aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 80% compared to conventional fossil-based methods, while providing “drop-in” replacements for today’s products. Their first facility, planned at the Port of Rotterdam with a capacity of about 200,000 tonnes a year, is slated to begin operation in 2030 and aims to accelerate the shift toward a circular, climate-neutral chemical sector in Europe.
Mercedes-Benz (DE) Mercedes-Benz AG is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-end passenger cars. In 2024 it sold around 2,4 million passenger cars and vans. The company focuses on the development, production and sales of passenger cars, vans and vehicle-related services. Furthermore, the company aspires to be the leader in the fields of electric mobility and vehicle software. As sustainability is the guiding principle of the Mercedes-Benz strategy and for the company itself, this means creating lasting value for all stakeholders: for customers, employees, investors, business partners and society as a whole. The company thus takes responsibility for the economic, ecological and social effects of its business activities and looks at the entire value chain.
New RCI partner
kunststoffland NRW (DE) is the only association in the plastics industry that represents the entire plastics value chain, from raw material production and processing to recycling, including machine manufacturers, service providers, and research and training institutions. With around 160 member companies – including large corporations, highly innovative SMEs and start-ups – as well as the members of its regional partners, it represents the industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. kunststoffland NRW has set itself the goal of strengthening the performance and competitiveness of the plastics industry in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Source
Renewable Carbon Initiative, original text, 2025-12-02.
Supplier
Blue Circle – Olefins
CO2 Value Europe
kunststoffland NRW e.V.
L'Oreal International
Loop Industries
Mercedes-Benz Group
Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI)
TÜV AUSTRIA Group
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