From crude oil to crudely circular—Shell turns trash into PR treasure. Circularity, in Shell-speak, apparently means burning plastic to make plastic, while emitting a generous side order of CO₂ and carcinogens.
Shell, the ultimate sin stock and planetary pyromaniac, is once again trying to paint a halo on its hydrocarbon horns. This time, it’s doing it with garbage—literally. In a move it breathlessly calls a “landmark agreement,” Shell has teamed up with Freepoint Eco-Systems to supply its Monaca, Pennsylvania plastic plant with a “steady stream” of pyrolysis oil—a charming euphemism for melting down old plastic and pretending it’s sustainable.
Let’s decode the spin.
Pyrolysis, the process Shell is now trumpeting as an environmental breakthrough, involves heating plastic waste into oblivion until it liquefies into an oil-like substance. This can then be turned back into—you guessed it—more plastic, just as “virgin” as the stuff made from fossil fuels, but now with a side of eco-theatre.
Shell, in a moment of plastic PR poetry, claims:
“The agreement reflected its commitment to increasing the circularity of plastics in its portfolio.”
Circularity, in Shell-speak, apparently means burning plastic to make plastic, while emitting a generous side order of CO₂ and carcinogens. But fear not! It’s all done in the name of progress, innovation, and shareholder value—especially for BlackRock, Shell’s top investor and a perennial champion of ESG investment… in theory, anyway.
The numbers? Unsurprisingly, Shell declined to say how much of this synthetic sludge it’s buying or for how long. Because why spoil a good headline with facts?
Freepoint’s Hebron, Ohio plant—still in commissioning—hopes to churn out up to 130 million pounds a year of pyrolysis oil. Enough to keep Shell’s Monaca factory stocked with all the “circular” feedstock it needs to flood the world with brand-new plastic in biodegradable marketing wrappers.
And this isn’t Shell’s first rodeo. On 22 April (Earth Day, naturally—because irony is Shell’s favourite fossil fuel), the company received its first railcar of pyrolysis oil at its Norco, Louisiana plant. A heartwarming tale of recycled waste… travelling hundreds of miles by diesel train to become new waste. Because if you’re going to greenwash, why not do it at scale?
So here we are: Shell, environmental steward by press release, still spewing emissions, plastic, and PR, now with a chemical twist. As always, pollution is temporary, spin is eternal.
Disclosure:
This article was generated with the support of artificial intelligence and reviewed by a human editor. All direct quotes are accurate and the information has been verified. No plastics were genuinely recycled in the writing of this article.
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