NRW Minister for Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur presented the NRW.Global Business Award to Dr. Daniel Koch, plant manager at LYB's Wesseling site.
 

The award recognises LyondellBasell's (LYB) investment of several hundred million euros in a state-of-the-art chemical recycling plant for plastics at its Wesseling-Knapsack site. Starting in 2026, the recycling plant is to use the company's proprietary MoReTec technology to convert hard-to-recycle processed mixed plastics into raw materials for the production of new plastics, which can then be used in regulated applications such as food packaging or medical devices. With an annual capacity of 50,000 tonnes, the plant has the potential to process pre-sorted plastic waste from around 1.2 million German citizens, according to LYB.
 
Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, emphasised: "The companies we are honouring today impressively demonstrate what North Rhine-Westphalia stands for as a business location: bold ideas, technological innovation and a clear commitment to sustainable action – locally and globally. The investment in a state-of-the-art chemical recycling plant at the long-established Wesseling site is creating a flagship project for the circular economy that exemplifies the transition to a sustainable and future-proof industry. LyondellBasell combines technological excellence with a clear commitment to the location." Since its inception, the NRW.Global Business Award has been presented to individual or multiple companies for their exemplary commitment in North Rhine-Westphalia and their contribution to the economic development and competitiveness of the state. Head of the Wessling-Knapsack plant, Daniel Koch, thanked the minister: ‘This award is a great honour for our entire team and supports our transformation towards a circular economy for plastics.’
 
In the centre of the picture: Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, presents the NRW.Global Business Award to Dr. Daniel Koch, LYB Plant Manager in Wesseling Knapsack. Left: Hanna Tijmes, Consul General of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Düsseldorf. Right: Felix Neugart, Managing Director of the NRW.Global Business Award.
 
Sources:

• LYB press release (24.6.2025)
• Photo: © NRW.Global Business / Jan Tepass