A New Consortium of Recycling at BP

BP is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world. Founded over 100 years ago, BP is headquartered in London, England. This company has a presence in countries all over the world. BP isn’t just one of the biggest money-makers in the oil and gas world. They’re also one of the biggest innovators in the energy industry. With a continued desire to keep pushing the industry forward, BP is always finding new efficiencies in the industry.

One great example of this is the new recycling consortium BP has entered into. Along with Unilever, a company that makes a myriad of consumer products, BP has committed to recycling hard-to-process plastics. These include polyethylene terephthalate plastic. This plastic is mostly used in packaging. That’s part of why Unilever is so excited to be a part of this project. As a company that makes a lot of personal care products, Unilever is extremely excited about this.

Another industry that uses lots of PET plastic is the food and beverage sector. PET is used to make some bottles, jars and other materials. This plastic, unfortunately, can be difficult to recycle. Generally, the containers made from these materials end up in the landfill. BP has found a new and better way to recycle this material. The proprietary technology that’s used for this process is known as Infinia.

This process makes it possible for PET to be “circular.” By circularity, it means that the material can be cleaned and reused, rather than being sent to a landfill. The material is returned to its original untouched quality and can be used to make more packaging or bottles again. This type of operation helps to bring BP full-circle in a way. In addition to extracting oil from the ground, BP is finding new ways to make recycled products from petrochemical materials.

BP’s new recycling partnership is part of a new trend in the energy industry. Recently, French oil and gas company Total SA has started a similar partnership with Nestle and Mars. This trend points to a new understanding of the importance of sustainability throughout the industry. The oil and gas industry is adapting to an evolving marketplace and taking on advice from the scientific community.

This blog was originally published on Grislis' website.