OMV and Borealis signed long-term supply agreements with TOMRA for recycling raw materials extracted from mixed waste that will be lost to incineration and landfills
• TOMRA closes the volume and quality gaps in plastic recycling by extracting high-quality fractions from plastic waste, which is generally lost to incineration and landfills.
• Provides a stable supply for OMV Group’s recycling assets by providing high-quality sustainable raw materials from mixed waste.
• It supports OMV Group to increase its circular product and solution volumes in line with its 2030 targets.
OMV and Borealis signed long-term raw material supply agreements for recycling facilities with TOMRA Feedstock, a subsidiary of TOMRA, a leading sorting technologies manufacturer. These agreements will ensure an uninterrupted supply of sustainable and high-quality raw materials for OMV Group’s recycling operations.
While OMV processes raw materials supplied from TOMRA Feedstock facilities at ReOil® facilities in Austria; Borealis will use raw materials sorted by TOMRA in its mechanical recycling operations in Europe. This raw material will be sourced from post-consumer mixed plastic materials that would otherwise be lost in incineration and landfills, in a first-of-its-kind sorting facility developed by TOMRA in Germany. These new agreements will therefore play a critical role in closing the loop on plastics and accelerating the transition to a circular economy, contributing to OMV Group’s goals of producing circular products and solutions.
TOMRA, a global leader in sensor-based sorting systems for metal and waste recycling, is building a sorting facility with an annual capacity of 80,000 metric tons. This facility, which will be operational in Germany by the end of 2025, will ensure the effective sorting of materials using TOMRA’s artificial intelligence and sensor technologies. Thus, TOMRA Feedstock will launch an innovative process that transforms pre-sorted post-consumer mixed plastic waste. These wastes, which are usually about to be incinerated, will be separated into clean fractions according to their polymers, thanks to TOMRA’s innovative processes. These fractions will then be processed in mechanical and chemical recycling facilities operated by OMV and Borealis.
OMV has been awarded a long-term contract for the supply of chemical recycling feedstock by TOMRA Feedstock. This raw material will be used to replace primary polyolefins in chemical recycling for the ReOil® technology developed and patented by OMV. Thus, a significant contribution will be made to meeting recycling targets.
Daniela Vlad, Executive Vice President, Chemicals and Materials, OMV: “This long-term supply agreement will source our ReOil® technology to provide raw materials for the production of high-quality sustainable plastics.
“In this way, we make a significant contribution to creating a circular economy for plastics,” he explained.
Borealis will use this raw material in its operations based on Borealis’ Borcycle™ M technology. Thanks to this technology, it will transform polyolefin-based post-consumer waste into high-performance polymers, making them suitable for demanding applications in industries such as automotive, energy, infrastructure, healthcare, household appliances and consumer products.
Craig Arnold, Borealis Executive Vice President, Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions, Innovation and Technology: “This agreement is another concrete step towards Borealis’ commitment to increasing the proportion of recycled content in a wide range of high-performance products. “Our customers will be able to increase the use of recycled plastics, which adds value to their portfolio.”
TOMRA Recycling President Dr. Volker Rehrmann: “This agreement shows that it is possible for the main players in the value chain to come together and create a truly significant impact. Thanks to our technology, we have the ability to recover post-consumer plastics that would otherwise be lost through incineration. These are valuable materials that deserve at least a second life. “We are pleased to be working with OMV and Borealis to make a major contribution to closing the circular gap in plastics.”
OMV operates a ReOil® pilot plant in Schwechat, Austria, and a new ReOil® plant with an annual capacity of 16,000 metric tons is being built at the same location. Like the existing pilot plant, the new facility will receive International Sustainability and Carbon certification (ISCC PLUS).