Queen Máxima of The Netherlands recently visited the LyondellBasell QCP recycling facility at Chemelot, in the south of The Netherlands. The March 5th trip focused on how the chemical sector is making raw materials and production processes more sustainable and it is part of a series of royal visits by Queen Máxima in the field of sustainability and circularity.
“It fills us with great pride to have such an amazing ambassador for the circular economy in The Netherlands,” said Raf Bemelmans, vice president of planning and operations Circular & Low Carbon Solutions (C&LCS). “She said she recognizes that the chemical sector can play a tremendously good role in the energy and resource transition and in people's daily lives and well-being. The Queen also emphasized that together we should make the general public more aware that new materials can be made from things they dispose of. We should no longer see used plastic as waste, but as a very good raw material for making new high-value products.”
LYB employees co-hosted the tour with the Queen and had the opportunity to present her with a Samsonite suitcase in Royal Orange, of course, produced with mechanically-recycled CirculenRecover materials. Samsonite has been a great partner from the beginning and the suitcase is a great example of how LYB creates ‘Solutions For A Better Tomorrow.’
Bemelmans, one of the founders of the Quality Circular Polymers facility and VP planning and operations C&LCS, explained how the mechanical recycling plant at Chemelot operates, what plastics are recycled (mainly shampoo bottles and food packaging) and how they are shredded, washed and turned into pellets that are ready for use by customers for high-quality products. Examples of such products include soap packaging, bottle caps, toys, and Samsonite suitcases, such as the one presented to the Queen.