Xycle

Xycle, a Rotterdam-based company, is focused on converting hard-to-recycle plastic waste into valuable raw materials. The firm's history traces back to a 17-year development process for its core technology, culminating in its founding in 2020. A significant milestone was achieved in early 2025 when Xycle secured a combination of equity and debt financing to construct its first commercial-scale plant in the Port of Rotterdam. This facility provides strategic access to transportation networks for both receiving plastic waste and distributing the final product.

The company's business is centered around chemical recycling, specifically addressing plastic waste that is unsuitable for mechanical recycling and would otherwise be incinerated or sent to landfills. Xycle's clients are primarily in the chemical industry, which can use the output to create new, virgin-quality circular plastics. A key strategic partner and offtaker for this circular feedstock is Dow, a major materials science company. Xycle's revenue model is based on the sale of its primary product, pyrolysis oil, to these industrial clients. The company's investor consortium includes notable entities such as Dow, ING, Invest-NL, and Vopak, with Polestar Capital providing senior debt, reflecting strong confidence from both the industrial and financial sectors.

Xycle's core product is high-quality pyrolysis oil, generated through a proprietary chemical recycling technology. The process utilizes low-temperature pyrolysis, which thermally decomposes plastic waste in the absence of oxygen. This method is engineered to be highly efficient, maximizing the liquid fraction (the pyrolysis oil) that serves as a cracker feedstock for new plastic production. A key benefit of this technology is its ability to handle a wide variety of mixed plastic waste. The resulting raw material can be used to manufacture high-value applications, including food-grade packaging and components for the medical and automotive industries. The first plant is designed to process 21,000 metric tons of plastic waste annually, with future plans to develop more facilities globally with larger capacities.

Keywords: chemical recycling, plastic waste conversion, pyrolysis technology, circular economy, pyrolysis oil, sustainable feedstock, advanced recycling, waste-to-value, circular plastics, Rotterdam Port, Dow partnership, hard-to-recycle plastics, plastic-to-feedstock, environmental technology, sustainable materials, low-temperature pyrolysis, cracker feedstock, plastic circularity, industrial recycling solutions, waste valorization