Renewi: The Largest Supplier in the Future?

For example, its subsidiary Coolrec extracts plastic pellets from old refrigerators, which Playmobil uses to create new toys. Renewi is also exploring chemical recycling into pyrolysis oil with partners and repurposing foam from old mattresses into new ones for Ikea. Additionally, another division is working on producing biobased plastics from organic waste.

Despite these advancements, Renewi still faces significant challenges, particularly in supply chain collaboration with other parties. “The waste industry and the petrochemical industry speak two completely different languages,” says Renewi's product development manager, Kim Meulenbroeks.

For instance, while the chemical industry assesses raw material samples in a laboratory, Renewi evaluates truckloads of plastic on a weighbridge. Moreover, pricing agreements are made over entirely different timeframes, which could lead to complications in the future.