ReVentas, a Scottish startup specialising in plastic recycling technology, has secured Series A funding to facilitate the transition of its plastic recycling process from a pilot plant to commercial operations within the next three years.
The funding round drew support from Orlen VC, Beiersdorf Venture Capital, and Scottish Enterprise, the national economic development agency of Scotland, all dedicated to promoting technologies that advance the circular economy.
With the new funding, ReVentas aims to accelerate the development of its first commercial plant, which will have a capacity of 10,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) and is scheduled to commence operations in 2027.
Additionally, plans are in place to increase this capacity by 40,000t by 2031.
ReVentas CEO Tom Rose said: “Plastics are an essential part of our world, but so far, the industry has failed to provide workable solutions at scale to deal with the impact they have on our environment. ReVentas are providing a simple solution which can change this, ensuring the waste we produce today, can and will be directly used in the products we buy tomorrow.”
Globally, plastic production reportedly reaches approximately 390 million tonnes per annum. However, end-of-life plastic management poses significant challenges, with only around 9% of plastic being recycled worldwide.
The complexity of plastic materials, coupled with issues of contamination and colour, often leads to incineration or downcycling into lower-value products.
ReVentas’ technology addresses these challenges by focusing on recycling polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), which constitute more than 50% of all plastics produced.
The company’s proprietary process involves a chemical solvent that dissolves PE and PP quickly, effectively removing contaminants, colour, and odour. This results in a plastic that is comparable to virgin material, which can be sold to end customers, thus replacing the need for new plastic production.
The technology operates under low temperatures and pressures, not only making recycling more cost-effective but also achieving an 80% reduction in carbon emissions compared to the production of virgin plastic.
ORLEN VC management board president Marek Garniewski said: “EU regulations mandate that 10% of packaging materials must come from recycled sources by 2030. However, Europe faces significant shortages of high-quality secondary raw materials suitable for reuse in production.
“Meeting this obligation will be a challenge, but we see it as a business opportunity. Through this latest investment in cutting-edge recycling technology, we aim to leverage it effectively.”
