Shell retreats from its plastic recycling goals

Shell has abandoned its plan to use advanced recycling to convert 1 million tonnes of plastic waste into oil annually by 2025, citing market and technological challenges. Advanced recycling, which breaks down plastics into molecules for new products or fuels, has faced difficulties in scalability and environmental impact, potentially producing more pollution than traditional methods.

Shell has made a wise decision here. Chemical recycling is a polluting and unreliable way to address the growing issue of plastics.

Despite this, Shell continues to enhance its plastic production capabilities with new large-scale chemical complexes. The retraction highlights the issues with chemical recycling, emphasizing the need for more sustainable solutions to tackle the global plastic waste crisis.