INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe has launched INEOS LowINCO₂, a range of low-carbon olefins and polymers with a reported product carbon footprint up to 50% below the European industry average, targeting customers seeking to reduce emissions across their supply chains.
The company said the range covers its olefins and polymers produced across its European network. It expects the carbon footprint to fall further when its €5 billion Project ONE ethane cracker in Antwerp, Belgium, begins operations.
The launch expands INEOS’s portfolio of lower-carbon materials for downstream industries, including transport, construction, healthcare, electronics and packaging. The company says the products are designed to help customers reduce Scope 3 emissions while maintaining the performance and reliability required for industrial applications.
Low-carbon olefins and polymers target downstream emissions
Olefins and polymers are widely used as feedstocks and materials in manufacturing. INEOS LowINCO₂ is intended for applications including lightweight transport components, water and gas distribution pipes, medical and healthcare products, consumer electronics, food and beverage packaging, and construction materials.
By using materials with a lower product carbon footprint, customers may be able to reduce the emissions associated with the products they manufacture. The potential impact will depend on the materials used, the production processes involved and the boundaries applied when calculating emissions across each product’s life cycle.
INEOS said the LowINCO₂ certification applies to the company’s full range of olefins and polymers produced across its European network. The company has positioned the range for customers facing increasing pressure to demonstrate progress against sustainability targets and emissions-reduction requirements.
Project ONE expected to lower product carbon footprint further
INEOS expects the carbon footprint of its LowINCO₂ products to decline further when Project ONE, its €5 billion ethane cracker in Antwerp, becomes operational.
The project is expected to improve the emissions profile of the company’s production offering, although the latest announcement does not specify the additional reduction expected, a commissioning date or the resulting product-level emissions figures.
The projected improvement is therefore dependent on Project ONE becoming operational and on the production and emissions assumptions underlying INEOS’s calculations.
LowINCO₂ complements wider sustainability portfolio
The new range joins other initiatives within INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe’s sustainability portfolio. These include the Recycl IN hybrid polymer range, which incorporates mechanically recycled plastic, alongside advanced recycling capabilities, bio-attributed products and multilayer machine-direction-oriented (MDO) film technology intended to support recyclable mono-material packaging.
These approaches address different aspects of materials sustainability. Lower-carbon production aims to reduce emissions associated with manufacturing, recycled-content products can reduce reliance on virgin feedstocks, and bio-attributed materials use certified approaches to account for renewable feedstocks.
Their environmental benefits depend on factors such as feedstock sourcing, manufacturing energy, certification methods and end-of-life treatment.
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INEOS LowINCO₂ highlights the growing importance of product-level emissions in the chemicals and plastics industries. Manufacturers are increasingly seeking materials that can help reduce the carbon footprint of their own products, particularly where emissions from purchased materials contribute to Scope 3 inventories.
The reported reduction of up to 50% against the European industry average is a company-reported comparison, not evidence that every product made using the range will achieve a 50% reduction in total life-cycle emissions. The result will depend on the specific material, the reference product and the emissions-accounting methodology used.
The expected additional reduction linked to Project ONE also remains contingent on the facility entering operation. Further details on product-level carbon-footprint values, the comparison methodology and independent verification would help customers assess the scale of the potential benefit.
For the wider low-carbon materials market, the commercial question is whether suppliers can demonstrate credible emissions reductions while maintaining consistent product quality, availability and cost competitiveness. Clear measurement and transparent certification will be important in determining how these products contribute to downstream decarbonisation.
