Plastics & Rubber
Keeping plastic in the loop
Not all plastics can be recycled in the same way. Different levels of purity, compositions, and application profiles require different solutions. That’s why BASF supports and enables a portfolio of mechanical, physical, chemical and thermochemical recycling solutions – working with partners across the entire plastics value chain.
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Why we need several recycling routes
Waste streams vary widely. To handle this complexity a combination of different technologies is needed.
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| Method | Description | Learn more |
| Mechanical (clean/single-grade) | Shredding and melting down single-type plastic waste for direct recycling. | Mechanical recycling |
| Solvent-based (targeted cleaning) | Dissolving plastics in solvents to precisely remove additives and impurities. | Solvent-based recycling |
| Depolymerization (chemical precision) | Grinding polymers into their monomeric components to produce plastic of near-new quality. | Depolymerization |
| Thermochemical (mixed/complex) | Conversion of mixed plastics into pyrolysis oil as a feedstock for chemical production. |
Why policy frameworks are crucial for the Circular Economy
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Scaling modern recycling processes depends largely on:
- clear political frameworks,
- technology-neutral definitions of recycling,
- recognition of mass balance approaches,
- effective collection and sorting systems
- and investment security across the value chain
A technology‑neutral understanding of recycling – including both mechanical and chemical routes – is essential to unlock complex waste streams and to support the objectives of European Circular Economy policy.