PureCycle releases life cycle assessment results for European facility

PureCycle Technologies released new data from a third-party baseline Life Cycle Assessment study that shows the future polypropylene waste purification plant at the port of Antwerp in Belgium is expected to release fewer carbon emissions, use less energy and rely upon less fossil resources than global virgin plastic production. The study was conducted by the well-known independent assurance and risk management expert, DNV, following the ISO-14040/44 LCA-framework. Based on the estimates from PureCycle’s flagship facility in Ironton, Ohio and the energy grid in Belgium, the study found that the port of Antwerp facility will consume 86% less energy than global virgin PP production. Assessment data also indicates that the European facility is expected to reduce green-house gas emissions by 61% and reduce fossil-based resource usage by 64% when compared to virgin plastic. In 2022, a third party LCA study conducted by Boundless for PureCycle’s Ironton, Ohio plant projected the site would use 79% less energy andhave 35% lower carbon emissions than new PP plastic. The study also indicated that future PureCycle plants could further improve on these initial estimates and appears to have been confirmed by the DNV study.