QCP was founded in April 2014 and will build a polymer recycling plant with a nameplate capacity of 100.000 tonne on the Chemelot Site in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands.The initiators are Huub Meessen and Marc Houtermans. Strategic investors are SITA, LIOF and Chemelot Ventures, next to the Province of Limburg, Limburgs Energie Fonds and the Community of Sittard-Geleen who have contributed to the
investment. All investors have a strategic interest in the company, either from industrial or regional perspective. The total investment will be 75 million euro, of which 35 million euro in the first phase, planned to be ready for production in 2015. QCP will be based on the Chemelot Site, a strategic location in terms of polymers research, development and production of Polymers. At the heart of Western Europe, QCP can benefit both in terms of supply and demand from the high population density. In addition to that, QCP has easy access to rail, barge and road connections. QCP will produce Polyethylenes (PE) and Polypropylenes (PP) compounds from circular polymers (post-consumer and post-industrial waste) for typical applications such as Crates & Boxes, Bottles & Cans, Automotive parts and E&E applications. Plastics are found in virtually everything we use these days. Our food and hygiene products are packed in it. Our car, phone and computer are made of it, so are many more applications. Plastics have a positive effect on the environment since they are light weighted and therefore save energy in transport. When used as insulation they also save energy. They reduce the spilling of food by advanced packaging solutions that extend the shelf life. However, when plastics come to their end of life, they often have a negative impact on our environment. They end up in landfills, beaches, rivers and oceans. On a total European plastics consumption of around 50 million tons per year, half of it is waste of which 11 million tons is land filled and 9 million ton is burned. Consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impacts from plastic waste and ask for sustainable solutions. Brand owners react to this trend and are looking for partners to co-develop circular products. The European Commission acts by tightening legislation through banning landfill and reducing incineration. This will free up large quantities of used plastics. Circular
These used plastics offer a sustainable route for producing new ‘circular’ plastics in terms of resource efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction and waste. While most plastics are touted as recyclable, the reality is that they’re down-cycled and used in low end applications. QCP will produce plastics that can be used in high-end applications by using the latest proven technologies and driving in-house innovations in the field of recipe development, extrusion and purification technology. By using mechanically recycled polyolefins, the resource depletion reduces with a factor 20 compared to fossil based polyolefins. The impact of recycled polyolefins on global warming is only 10% compared to fossil based polyolefins. Mechanical recycling of polyolefins reduces acidification and eutrophication with more than a factor 10 compared to fossil based polyolefins. Europe does not have access to advantaged fossil or bio feedstock, and has an advanced waste collection structure in most countries. In addition, circular polymers are the only route to solve the waste issue. The European Commissioner for Environment, Janez Potočnik, supports this development with the Green Paper on Plastic Waste Management. QCP will benefit from the legal forces that untap 11 million ton of Polyolefins currently disposed or incinerated. In addition, it is expected that export volumes will reduce due to changing legislation. QCP will invest heavily in sorting and purification capability for post consumer waste.
