ICIS launches interactive database of chemical recycling projects

London-based Independent Commodity and Intelligence Services (ICIS) has announced the release of the Recycling Supply Tracker - Chemical. The tracker provides fast-moving consumer goods, chemical producers, large converters and retailers with a view of the emerging chemical recycling market. The goal is to assist the industry in effectively securing the supply of recycled resins suitable for these applications.

According to a news release from ICIS, many industry players have public sustainability targets and need to understand the capacities in the market to ensure they can source the necessary materials to meet these targets. As of 2021, the global installed capacity for chemical recycling is less than 2.5 million metric tons, including commercial and precommercial facilities, with Asia Pacific and North America as the leading regions. The tracker will provide up-to-date data, including installed capacity, output volume, process and feedstock and details about the licensor and investors.

Chemical recycling processes can be used to revert postuse plastic back to an earlier molecular state. ICIS says the tracker has identified that, in terms of capacity, only around 20 percent of the global recyclers currently produce polymers as an output of their chemical recycling facilities. 

The tracker is updated with new projects and developments as they happen, helping the industry understand the pace of growth in this sector. Less than 30 percent of projects are operating at commercial scale. However, more than half of the plants identified are expected to start up in the next three years.

“Plastic waste is one of the biggest issues facing society and the investment now going into the development of new technologies to deal with plastic waste could be a game-changer in the prevention of environmental leakage of used plastic,” says Louise Boddy, head of commercial strategy, sustainability at ICIS. "Efforts to bring more complex technology and greater scale to this industry are accelerating fast and ICIS is detailing these developments with its new supply tracker, helping to foster partnerships and investments that improve circularity and prevent waste."

Available through ICIS Digital, the organization says the tracker is the world's only interactive database on global chemical recycling projects. Based on 18 years of recycled market expertise, users can filter, download and connect with suppliers.