Research and development

Plastics-to-Liquids (PtL) is an advanced chemical recycling process that converts hard-to-recycle plastics—like flexible plastic films—into high-quality liquid products such as synthetic oils. These oils can then be used as feedstock to create new food and medical grade plastics, reducing the need for virgin fossil fuels. Viridor’s world-first PtL facility in Skive, Denmark, is at the forefront of this technology, offering a scalable solution to one of the biggest recycling challenges.

Flexible plastic films—used widely in food packaging and household products—are lightweight and convenient, but they’re incredibly hard to recycle using traditional mechanical methods. They often contain mixed materials, are contaminated with food, or are simply too thin to process effectively. Flexible plastics make up around 25% of consumer packaging but less than 10% gets recycled. PtL technology offers a way to change that by turning this problem material into a valuable resource.

Plastics-to-Liquids helps close the loop by transforming waste back into a raw material that can be used again. By reducing the reliance on fossil fuels for plastic production and extending the useful life of plastic materials, PtL supports a more sustainable, circular economy. As this technology scales, it has the potential to dramatically increase recycling rates and reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste worldwide.