MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell has announced its ambition of, and approach to, achieving net zero emissions from global operations by 2050, as per the company's press release.
As an interim step toward 2050, the company also announced a strategy to achieve an absolute reduction of 30% in scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 2030. These targets are consistent with efforts to support the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting climate change by achieving net zero for global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by mid-century.
In 2019, LyondellBasell announced an initial GHG emissions reduction target of 15% per ton of product produced by 2030 (relative to 2015 levels). At the time, the company stated its intention to establish a more ambitious target. As such, the company has developed an achievable pathway to an absolute reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions by 30% (relative to 2020 levels). This approach includes: enhanced energy management and low emission steam; flare minimization; use of lower-emitting fuels; process electrification and furnace upgrades; and a minimum of 50% of electricity procured from renewable sources.
LyondellBasell's approach to achieving net zero emissions for its scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 2050 will build upon the progress achieved over the balance of this decade. In addition to these strategies, the company has begun evaluating a portfolio of technology options that could be deployed across the company's manufacturing footprint, including cracker electrification, use of hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and carbon utilization.
In addition, the company is actively embedding emissions reduction efforts into certain business processes including long-range planning and risk management, and identifying collaboration opportunities across multiple sectors to accelerate the scale up and deployment of breakthrough technologies.
Concurrent with the announcement of its revised emissions reduction goals, LyondellBasell also announced:
- It has launched a global renewable energy strategy: The company is currently advancing a number of opportunities to secure electricity generated by wind and solar through corporate power purchase agreements in the United States and Europe. LyondellBasell aims to reduce and/or offset the CO2 associated with a minimum of 50 percent of its existing electricity consumption. This amounts to 4.9 million megawatt hours per year from renewable sources by 2030. The company estimates this will reduce approximately 2 million metric tons of CO2 from the company's scope 2 emissions.
- A roadmap to phase out coal at its Wesseling, Germany, production site by 2023: The company has signed an agreement with Evonik, a German specialty chemical company, to purchase high-pressure steam generated from natural gas for use at its Wesseling olefin and polyolefin production site. This enables LyondellBasell's Wesseling site to phase-out coal usage at its on-site power plant by December 2023. The agreement integrates two neighboring chemical production sites to optimize steam supply and demand, which improves energy efficiency for both partners. The project is expected to reduce the site's CO2 emissions by approximately 170,000 metric tons per year.
- Flare systems assessment: In 2020, the company expanded its global assessment of flare systems at its major sites across its technologies. This project aims to reduce flaring, and optimize product recovery rates and flare operations. Projects implemented at its European and U.S. sites in 2020 resulted in a reduction in energy use of 1.27 million gigajoules and an associated emissions reduction of approximately 79,500 metric tons of CO2.
- Support for public policies that reduce global emissions: Recognizing the important role of sound public policy in reducing global emissions at scale, the company has articulated its support for policies that would establish a fair, global carbon price; promote renewables and energy infrastructure development; accelerate the deployment of new, carbon-reducing technologies; and, reward companies for adopting carbon-reducing technologies. More information on these policies can be found here.
In addition to working to address climate change, LyondellBasell has prioritized actions to help eliminate plastic waste from the environment, advance a circular economy and support a thriving society.
As MRC informed earlier, Three US subsidiaries of Dutch chemical giant LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LBI) have agreed to make upgrades and perform compliance measures estimated to cost USD50 million to resolve allegations they violated the Clean Air Act and state air pollution control laws at six petrochemical manufacturing facilities located in Channelview, Corpus Christi, and LaPorte, Texas, and Clinton, Iowa.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,638,370 tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up by 10% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 989,570 tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up by 30% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas shipments of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its employees around the globe, LyondellBasell produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges, like enhancing food safety through lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road, and ensuring the safe and effective functionality in electronics and appliances. LyondellBasell sells products into more than 100 countries and is the world"s largest producer of polymer compounds and the largest licensor of polyolefin technologies. In 2020, LyondellBasell was named to Fortune Magazine"s list of the "World"s Most Admired Companies" for the third consecutive year.
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