Chemicals producer LyondellBasell produced and marketed roughly 206,000t of recycled and renewable-based polymers in 2025, slightly higher than the 203,000t the company reported for 2024.
The company aims to produce and market 800,000 t/yr of recycled and renewable-based polymers by 2030. This target was revised down in February 2026 from a previous goal of 2mn t/yr.
Part of the progress towards the target will come from the start-up of its first MoReTec pyrolysis plant in Wesseling, Germany, which will have a capacity of 50,000 t/yr, the firm said.
LyondellBasell also expects regulatory frameworks, increased consumer focus and voluntary commitments from brands to support stronger demand. But it said that "greater clarity on how chemically recycled content can be attributed to products, including the use of mass-balance accounting, is an important next step for EU policymakers to strengthen certainty and drive investment in chemical recycling".
Chief executive Peter Vanacker said that "durable demand signals and willingness to adopt circular and lower-carbon materials are needed to justify large-scale infrastructure and technology deployment across the value chain".
In December 2025, LyondellBasell said it had paused plans to build a plastic recycling hub in Knapsack, Germany, "due to the broader economic environment". It also deferred a final investment decision on a second MoReTec pyrolysis plant in Houston, Texas, until market conditions improve.
The company said in its latest report that the deferral reflected "capital discipline, and the expected pace of demand growth".
"This provides us more time to engage with regulators, customers and brand owners in North America," it said.
LyondellBasell highlighted stronger demand for circular plastics from the automotive sector. "Most of our automotive customers have introduced circular solutions, actively staying ahead of upcoming end-of-life vehicle mandates," said Torkel Rhenman, executive vice-president of the company's Advanced Polymer Solutions segment.
Sales of mechanically recycled polymers marketed under the Circulen Recover brand to the automotive industry tripled in 2025 compared with 2024, Rhenman said.
