PureCycle Technologies recently hosted officials from the Port of Antwerp-Bruges (PoAB), including CEO Jacques Vandermeiren, at their flagship purification facility in Ironton. The PoAB group was shown the ongoing operations at the facility which will closely resemble PureCycle’s future facility in Europe.

Dustin Olson, CEO, PureCycle, said, “It’s always great to host visitors to our facility, but this was extra special. Jacques and his team from the Port of Antwerp-Bruges have been incredibly supportive of PureCycle’s efforts to bring our recycling technology to Europe. It was great to have them get more familiar with our process and see some of the recently produced pellets.”

The visit from the PoAB delegation comes following the recent Green Transition: Belgium-US Partnership event in New York, NY on September 20th. PureCycle CEO Dustin Olson attended the event and had the chance to discuss collaborative opportunities with both the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Vandermeiren.

Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO, PoAB added, “I've seen the pictures and videos of the Ironton facility, but until you see it in person, you can’t really grasp the true scale of the operation. This is a great advancement for our planet and the circularity of plastics. We can’t wait to see a facility like this at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.”

With PureCycle’s first-of-its-kind approach to creating a circular economy for polypropylene, the company strategically fits within the NextGen Districts ambition to be a hub for businesses seeking to advance the circular economy.

 Wiebe Schipper, VP - European Operation, PureCycle added, “It was great being able to offer the PoAB group a ‘sneak preview’ of what PureCycle Antwerp is going to look like. We thank the delegation for making time in their busy schedule to come see our flagship plant in Ironton.”

Located within the NextGen District at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, PureCycle’s future site will occupy a 14-hectare plot that can house up to 4 purification lines. This means the site has the capability of creating an anticipated total capacity of 240,000 metric tons of PureCycle’s Ultra-Pure Recycled resin annually.

PureCycle’s Antwerp site was chosen from an extensive list of approximately 40 other European locations due to its unique balance of supported infrastructure, sustainability goals and deep ties to geopolitics throughout Europe.

PureCycle is set to begin construction in 2024 after the completion of the permitting process.