The chemical company has announced its investment in Xycle, a Rotterdam-based recycling company.
 

According to a Dow press statement, the investment is intended to support the construction of Xycle's first commercial pyrolysis plant in the Port of Rotterdam and to improve access to circular raw materials. The plant is expected to be fully operational in the fourth quarter of 2026 and will have a capacity of 21,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year. Dow has announced that it will be customer for the circular raw material from Xycle's new plant and wants to use it to produce new circular plastics to meet the growing global demand for circular products. Xycle's process reportedly uses low-temperature pyrolysis to convert difficult-to-recycle plastic waste into pyrolysis oil. The process is said to increase the liquid content that can be used as a feedstock for crackers in new plastic production. The feedstock produced can be used to manufacture virgin-quality plastics for high-value applications such as food-grade packaging and medical and automotive components. The plant is modular, allowing for increases or decreases in production in line with demand, ensuring both flexibility and efficiency of operation, it is claimed. Xycle plans to develop recycling plants worldwide, using larger reactors to increase the capacity of a single plant to 100,000 tonnes.
 
‘The performance and efficiency of Xycle's technology is an excellent addition to our increasingly diverse global portfolio of recycling solutions,’ explains Stephanie Kalil, Commercial Vice President, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics EMEA. Arnd Thomas, CEO of Xycle, says: ‘Working closely with Dow will enable us to draw on the company's expertise in developing high-quality circular materials, helping us to scale our unique technology and accelerate the transition to a circular economy for plastics.’
 
Sources:

• Dow press release (10.3.2025)
• Photo: © Georg Eiermann / Unsplash (Port of Rotterdam)