Polyolefins giant LyondellBasell (LYB, Houston, Texas, USA; www.lyondellbasell.com) plans to acquire Italy’s Mepol Group (Ferrara; https://mepol.com), a manufacturer of recycled and high-performance technical compounds with operations in Italy and Poland, the companies said. Financial details were not disclosed.

The deal includes Italy-based operations such as Polar, and ITI Poland, the companies announced.

The transaction closing is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions, the companies explained, noting that during the period, Mepol Group will operate on a standalone basis.

“This acquisition demonstrates LyondellBasell’s commitment to move the circular economy forward,” said Torkel Rhenman, LYB’s executive vice-president of advanced polymer solutions. “With Mepol Group's expertise in sustainable compounds and LyondellBasell’s scale, we will enhance our CirculenRecover and other sustainable solutions for our customers.”

In February, the US polyolefin group announced plans to reorganise its own compounding unit. Additionally, together with Germany’s 23 Oaks Investments, LyondellBasell plans to process and compound materials sourced from plastics waste in the Netherlands and Germany.

The Italian company’s website says the Mepol unit, which makes a range of compounds, has available output of 40,000 t/y and runs eight extrusion lines with output of 500-2,500 kg/h. It listed production at ITI Poland, based in Kujawy, at 27,000 t/y and reported five extrusion lines with a similar throughput range as machines at the Mepol facilities. No output information was cited for Ferrara-based recyclate producer Polar.

The fate of the company’s ITI Polymers distribution unit, also in Ferrara, was not mentioned specifically in the joint statement on the deal, and little detail was available on the division. The company website said, “The range of products distributed is very wide thanks to consolidated collaborations with the main producers of raw materials.” Products on offer were not listed.