CNN —A squat, light-colored building in Tigard, Oregon, was supposed to be part of a game-changing new solution for the global plastics industry. And unlike mechanical recycling, where the quality of the product declines each time, chemical recycling promises virgin-quality plastics. Chemical company Dow says it plans to build multiple chemical recycling facilities in the US and Europe, adding as much as 600,000 tons (1.2 billion pounds) of recycling capacity by 2030. “Mechanical recycling simply uses less energy and chemicals than does chemical recycling, making it overall cheaper and less environmentally impactful,” she said. With that kind of industry pressure, said Congdon, it’s easy to see why chemical recycling may be attractive to policymakers.

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Persons: Jennifer Congdon, Congdon, “, ”, Big, Yuri Cortez, Davis Allen, what’s, isn’t, Taylor Uekert, Chaideer Mahyuddin, Mike Kemp, Brightmark, NREL’s Uekert, Allen, ” Congdon Organizations: CNN, Regenyx, Plastics, Getty, Climate Integrity, Companies, Chemical, Dow, Oil, Exxon, American Chemistry Council, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Beyond Plastics, ACC, Center Locations: Tigard , Oregon, Venezuela, AFP, Europe, Asia, Banda Aceh, Indonesia, London, Baytown , Texas, Ashley , Indiana, Macon, Bibb , Georgia, Indiana, The Indiana