Since the inception of plastics, global production has exceeded 10 billion tons, with approximately 80% ultimately becoming waste—resulting in colossal resource wastage and triggering a worldwide environmental crisis.
Traditional disposal methods have reached their limits: Landfilling consumes vast tracts of land and risks contaminating soil and groundwater, while incineration releases toxic substances such as dioxins and generates significant carbon emissions. The limitations of mechanical recycling are also increasingly evident—repeated melting fractures molecular chains, leading to irreversible degradation in material quality, ultimately ending in landfills or incinerators.
Confronting this global challenge demands entirely new solutions for plastic recycling. Chemical recycling technology is emerging as the core engine to address plastic pollution. In recent years, technological innovations have driven revolutionary progress, particularly through high-temperature pyrolysis.
Niutech has gained extensive recognition in global high-end markets with its industrial continuous waste plastic pyrolysis technology. On August 20, 2025, the company announced a contract valued at RMB 198 million with a UK client for a 60,000-ton/year industrial continuous waste plastic pyrolysis production line. This marks another significant achievement for Niutech in the global chemical recycling of waste plastics.
Pyrolysis technology, a method for chemically treating waste plastics, involves heating plastics at high temperatures under oxygen-free or oxygen-deficient conditions to break molecular chains, producing pyrolysis oil and pyrolysis gas. In short, it is a process of “converting plastics into fuel.” Niutech’s technology has achieved industrial continuous operation, offering high processing efficiency and suitability for large-scale applications.
The advantages of this technological approach have driven the transformation of waste plastics from “low-value disposal” to high-value utilization, turning the value per ton of waste plastics from negative (landfilling or incineration) to positive.
Niutech’s technology has been validated in international markets. The company’s earlier contract with Norway’s Quantafuel for four waste plastic pyrolysis production lines, used in a Danish waste plastic pyrolysis plant, received investment and high recognition from the international chemical giant BASF.
Recently, a waste plastic pyrolysis project invested by South Korea’s Hyundai Group in Southeast Asia has successfully commenced operations and is running stably. The project utilizes Niutech’s waste plastic pyrolysis technology and equipment, with the resulting pyrolysis oil used as feedstock for chemical recycling in Hyundai’s own chemical plants in South Korea, contributing to carbon emission reduction.
The chemical recycling industry in Europe is currently experiencing a policy-driven boom, creating a favorable external environment for waste plastic chemical recycling. In January of this year, the European Union officially issued the “Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation,” setting stringent requirements for recycled material content.
In July 2025, the European Commission increased the “plastic tax” by €0.20 per kilogram to boost plastic recycling rates and reduce the production of non-recyclable plastics. On August 1, the European Commission officially initiated the legislative process for the “Circular Economy Act,” aiming to increase the EU’s material circularity rate from the current 11.8% to over 24% by 2030.
These policies will effectively drive the development of the chemical recycling industry, creating significant market opportunities for technology providers.
Chemical recycling technology not only addresses environmental issues but also generates substantial economic value. Through business model innovation, plastic recycling is transforming from a cost center into a profit center, attracting more investments into this field.
The EU plans to increase its material circularity rate from the current 11.8% to over 24% by 2030. This transformation is not only about environmental protection but will also reshape the competitive landscape of the global plastics industry. Chemical recycling technology is turning plastic waste from an environmental burden into a treasure trove of sustainable resources.