Climate-neutral and circular economy solutions are key to building a sustainable recovery for Europe

Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. Our vision for 2035 is to be the global leader in advanced and circular polyolefins solutions. We will keep discovering and innovating on our way forward because progress is what we need to have a better life for everyone. Borealis fully supports the European Commission’s aim to transform Europe into a more circular and resource-efficient economy and to become climate-neutral by 2050. We believe that reaching these goals will only be possible with the help of climate-neutral and circular economy solutions, and that the chemical industry is playing a critical role in Europe’s transition by providing the products that will enable European society to be transformed, and by transforming our own production processes.

Life demands progress – We are re-inventing for more sustainable living

Borealis welcomes the ambition set out in the Green Deal, which is in line with our strategy. We believe that a transition must be made from the linear model to the circular model of keeping materials in use. It is recognised that the Green Deal will have an impact on our business and it is important to be actively engaged in the discussion. At Borealis, we have created EverMinds™, a platform that brings stakeholders together to constantly innovate new technologies and portfolio products, with circularity for plastics.

We also welcome the Next Generation EU recovery effort of EUR 750 billion which will boost the EU budget with new financing raised on the financial markets for 2021-2024, as well as the fact that part of these funds will be dedicated to the green and digital transition.

It is important to foster an economic recovery and an industrial transformation with climate-neutral and circular economy solutions that help to create a better future.

Life demands progress, and we believe that investments in the following sectors are key in order to advance the Green Deal and the recovery efforts.

1 – Investment projects for a circular carbon economy

The chemical industry’s low-carbon transition will require massive amounts of renewable and competitively priced energy and electrical networks. Investments should be prioritised in renewable electricity capacity, the production of hydrogen from renewable electricity, green ammonia as storage of hydrogen and networks and hydrogen pipelines.

Potential chemical low-carbon projects include for example the direct and indirect electrification of chemical processes, the promotion of industrial symbiosis, the improvement of energy efficiency of chemical process through catalysis and separation technologies, the utilisation of waste including plastic and other waste as an alternative resource, the use of CO₂ and biomass as an alternative carbon feedstock and the enabling of technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU)

Investment projects for the solar energy sector are key to making solar a more viable energy alternative than ever before

2 – Investment projects for a plastics circular economy

Improved plastics collection, sorting operations and waste distribution systems form the basis for recycling

Development and use of renewable feedstock for circular polyolefin products, such as the Bornewables™ portfolio by Borealis

Advanced mechanical and monomer chemical recycling operations

Overall, we believe that we need a new policy framework that incentivises investments in innovation and new technologies for a circular economy for plastics

3 – Green infrastructure and transport

Polyolefin-based solutions are supporting the drive towards clean mobility and the reduction of CO₂ emissions through their low density and light weight

The electrical battery industry is a key enabler for the vehicle sector in the production and deployment of sustainable modes of transport, including significant investments in next-generation batteries and fast-tracking the work of the European Battery Alliance

Electrification of the transport sector by accelerating the production and deployment of electrical components and infrastructure for electric cars

4 – Investment projects for the farming sector for nutrient management

Digital tools, such as Borealis NutriGuide® or N-pilot®, are needed to make farming more efficient and precise in order to avoid nutrient losses to the environment and help to feed more people and livestock

The circular economy in fertilization, e.g. by utilising nutrient recovery from waste water

For Europe to become more autonomous in medical devices and personal protection equipment, we believe that reliable solutions and the use of the best possible materials that add value to healthcare are essential in order to secure devices and their contents.

Becoming more autonomous in energy and raw materials requires the development of renewable energy and energy networks across Europe, as well as the development of the circular economy by using more waste to produce plastics.

We are committed to creating a world where there is no waste of resources, no emissions into the environment and no harm to society, while delivering prosperity for Borealis and our stakeholders. This ambition guides the decisions we take every day. It describes a perfect world, one we should endeavour to create. The future is shaped by the decisions of today, and we can only achieve our goal by working together with our stakeholders to shape the regulations and policy framework to create stable and attractive investment conditions in sustainability and circular economy.