Borouge, BlueAlp, and Woosh close loop with industrial-scale diaper recycling project
Woosh plans to scale into France and the Netherlands to boost the supply of recovered plastics.
BELGIUM – Borouge International and BlueAlp have partnered with Woosh to chemically recycle single-use baby diapers, converting them into pyrolysis oils that can be used to make new polymers.
EU-28 estimates indicate disposable diapers generated about 6.73 million tonnes in 2017; most are incinerated or landfilled after a single use, yet Borouge highlights that the products contain valuable polyolefin-based films and nonwovens.
The project builds on Woosh’s existing give-back diaper system, which distributes diapers to homes and childcare sites across Belgium and collects them after use.
More than 30,000 children reportedly use the scheme daily, and Woosh’s new recycling facility processes thousands of tonnes of used diapers every year.
Woosh CEO Jeff Stubbe said, “To see the plastic we recover from used diapers validated as feedstock for new polymer production, and potentially for new diapers in the future, is exactly what we set out to achieve.”
“This is what closing the loop actually looks like.”
Engineers from Woosh collaborated with Borouge and BlueAlp to set quality criteria for the recovered plastic feedstock required by BlueAlp’s chemical-recycling process; Woosh then refined its mechanical separation steps to meet those specifications.
Early industrial-scale trials took place at BlueAlp’s Oostende plant, where its pyrolysis technology converted the recovered plastic fractions into ISCC PLUS-certified pyrolysis oil suitable for future polymer production.
The partners say this is likely the first industrial-scale circular system for single-use diapers in Europe and serves as a proof of concept for closing the loop in this sector.
Peter Voortmans, VP Marketing Consumer Products at Borealis, noted the difficulty of chemically recycling diaper plastic and stressed the need for rigorous pre-processing to satisfy pyrolysis requirements, adding that close collaboration made the solution possible.
Separately, Korozo Group, Drylock Technologies and Colruyt have developed a recyclable nonwoven packaging option for diapers designed to reflect the product’s softness.
The packaging is already used for Drylock diaper products sold in Colruyt stores, and early consumer reactions have reportedly been positive, particularly regarding its appearance, practicality, and sustainability.
Borealis is also involved in a pilot with Clariant and SINTEF aimed at upgrading pyrolysis oil from plastic waste into cracker-grade feedstock suitable for virgin polyolefin production.
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