Klean Industries is a specialist in pyrolysis technologies used in processing end-of-life plastics and updates project developers, investors and waste management companies on the viability of converting plastic waste into H₂, fuel oil, recovered chemicals and clean energy. Klean’s plastic pyrolysis technology is a commercial-scale process that turns waste plastics into reusable resources that can be recovered from plastic waste and can be integrated and used as a drop-in feedstock right back into their original manufacturing supply chain. The innovative process is set to revolutionize the way we deal with plastic waste, which is one of the biggest environmental challenges we face today.

Plastics remain one of the most prevalent and challenging waste streams in the resource recovery sector. The use of plastics continues to rise, despite regulations in certain jurisdictions on single-use plastic bags, and some forms of soft plastics known as polyolefins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, the collection and reuse crisis are not properly handling and dealing with polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, and low-density polyethylene at scale which represents the largest number of consumer plastics not being effectively recycled. Industry and government are working to devise solutions, but more work is needed. The plastic recycling crisis is a complex issue that requires urgent action from all stakeholders.

Governments and businesses have a critical role to play in addressing the plastic recycling crisis. They need to invest in infrastructure and technology to improve recycling rates and reduce plastic waste. They can also support policies that promote sustainable alternatives to plastic, such as biodegradable materials or reusable packaging. Consumers also have a role to play by reducing their use of plastic, recycling properly, and supporting businesses that prioritize sustainability. The fact remains, we are never running out of oil, and we are never going to stop using plastics despite the climate change narrative and political shenanigans that surround the use of plastics and plastic recycling.

The world’s current waste management and recycling systems are broken, mostly consisting of downcycling applications, and are governed by political theater. While there are efforts underway to increase plastic recycling rates, progress has been extremely slow. Petrochemical companies manufacturing plastic are making billions in profits and need to do less greenwashing. It’s time these companies start making significant investments into this sector as the technologies and solutions that exist today can create positive improvements to the plastic recycling sector as the time is now to start addressing the plastic pollution crisis. We need to stop kicking the plastic football down the road and start implementing solutions on a scale that makes sense.

“It’s estimated that the majority of plastic waste, approximately 90%, is not recycled at all. Instead, it ends in landfills or the natural environment, including oceans, within the year of its manufactured life. How does this make any sense? Humans go to great lengths to find, extract, and refine petrochemicals and hydrocarbons, and then we make these products at a great expense both financially and environmentally, then in a short period of time and we either incinerate the resource or we tax end-of-life plastic all the way back into the ground via the landfilling. Our solutions like the patent-pending Klean Loop platform, combined with our advanced pyrolysis technologies, have the potential to change the way we deal with waste plastic by converting waste plastic into H₂, liquid fuels, chemical, and clean energy while reducing the amount of plastic waste that ends up in our environment. The benefits far outweigh downcycling, and landfill by creating a sustainable source of energy/fuel that can help us reduce our reliance on fossil fuels while reducing degradation to our environment,” said Anders Bergman, President of European Operations for Klean Industries.