LyondellBasell and Mondelez bring recycled plastic to Marabou wrappers
LyondellBasell has partnered with Mondelez International to launch a flexible packaging solution for Marabou chocolate bars made from 75% recycled content, marking one of the more significant applications yet of chemical recycling technology in food-contact flexible packaging.
The collaboration also involves Amcor and Taghleef Industries, and draws on LyondellBasell’s CirculenRevive polymers, produced using a 100% attributed recycled content approach certified under the ISCC PLUS mass balance scheme.
Turning mixed plastic waste into food-grade feedstock
CirculenRevive polymers are created by converting hard-to-recycle mixed plastic waste, including flexible packaging, into feedstock through a chemical recycling process. LyondellBasell then uses this feedstock in its existing production processes, displacing fossil-based inputs, and attributes the recycled content to end products via the ISCC PLUS mass balance system. The company describes the resulting polymers as a “drop-in, virgin-quality solution” that allows brand owners to incorporate recycled content while maintaining performance and regulatory compliance.
Yvonne van der Laan, executive vice president of LyondellBasell’s Sustainable Solutions and Technology Business, said: “Our collaboration with Mondelez illustrates our shared vision for the future and highlights our ability to provide innovative, high-quality circular solutions tailored to demanding specifications.”
Scaling supply through MoReTec-1
Looking ahead, LyondellBasell plans to supply future polymers for Marabou packaging through MoReTec-1, its first commercial-scale catalytic chemical recycling plant, currently under construction in Wesseling, Germany. Once operational, the facility is designed to produce 50,000 metric tons of feedstock annually for use in existing LyondellBasell production units.
LyondellBasell chief executive Peter Vanacker said: “This collaboration demonstrates how LYB can connect chemical recycling innovation with the scale and reach of our existing production network. As we advance MoReTec-1, we expect the facility to support future polymer supply for Marabou packaging and strengthen our ability to convert hard-to-recycle plastic waste into circular feedstocks for our existing assets.”
Feedstock for chemical recycling will be supported by Source One Plastics, an LyondellBasell joint venture based in Eicklingen, Germany, which processes mixed plastic waste for future supply to MoReTec-1. In the meantime, LyondellBasell sources recycled feedstock for CirculenRevive production from third-party pyrolysis oil producers.
A shared value chain approach
The Marabou packaging brings together several links in the supply chain: LyondellBasell supplies the circular polymers, Taghleef Industries develops the base film, and Amcor converts the material into the finished flexible packaging used by Mondelez.
Richard Akkermans, Packaging Sustainability Manager at Mondelez International, said: “Looking ahead, our ambition is to increase the use of recycled plastic in our packaging materials, and we’re proud to collaborate with multiple value chain players, including LYB and other industry leaders, on this journey. For consumers, the message is simple: plastic packaging can be recycled and allocated back into new food packaging.”
Meeting regulatory and brand demand
The launch responds to growing brand-owner demand for high-performance circular polymers that meet recycled-content targets without compromising food-packaging quality. It also positions Mondelez ahead of anticipated recycled-content requirements under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, as flexible packaging remains one of the more difficult plastic streams to recycle into food-grade materials.
