Prysmian, a global leader in energy and telecom cables, and Versalis, Eni’s chemical company, have joined forces in a strategic partnership to transform plastic cable scrap into new high-performance materials through chemical recycling.
Under the agreement, Prysmian will collect plastic scrap from its own production as well as from decommissioned cables supplied by major customers. Versalis will process the waste at its Mantua plant in Italy using its Hoop technology, converting the scrap into pyrolysis oil and then into new polymers. Prysmian will then use these recycled polymers to produce new cables.
Energy cables are often insulated with cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and other polymeric layers, which are notoriously difficult to recycle mechanically. Versalis’s Hoop technology, however, is set to change that. Prysmian anticipates that around 60% of XLPE scrap will now be reusable in new cable production.
“This is the first time in the cable industry that a cross-linked cable with all polymeric layers can be chemically recycled at scale, creating a truly circular cycle,” the companies said.
Srinivas Siripurapu, Chief Sustainability, Innovation and R&D Officer at Prysmian, emphasized the milestone: “Thanks to this agreement, we will give new life to old scrap. The first pilot project will kick off in Italy in the second half of 2026, and this step-forward is another strong signal of our continued focus on finding new sustainable solutions for our customers, and the planet, as we help to reduce the environmental impact of our supply chain and reduce emissions.”
Fabio Assandri, Head of R&D, Licensing and Projects Development at Versalis, highlighted the strategic value of the partnership: “This collaboration with Prysmian is strategic and demonstrates how our research and advanced technologies can provide concrete solutions for managing the end-of-life of complex products. Thanks to this joint project, we actively contribute to making the industrial sector more sustainable and circular.”
