Skip to main content
Monaca plant at nighttime

Our real

promise to you

At Shell Polymers, we’re here to help you understand sustainability in the polyethylene industry and get real about our own plans while also breaking down important concepts to help you reach your sustainability goals.

We’re also doing our part to support Shell’s goal of becoming a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 through sustainable efforts at our Monaca plant, designing for circularity in our innovation center and more. Read on to learn the real steps we’re taking toward a more sustainable tomorrow.

Sustainability starts at the source

Title:

(Real)ationships Start Here | Shell Polymers

Duration:

1:46 minutes

Description:

Nope, “(Real)ationships” isn’t a typo. It’s a new way of conducting business that hinges on being collaborative, transparent and—above all else—real. From plastic converters to our Shell Polymers colleagues and even society at large, we’re committed to forming lasting connections.

Transcript:

[Uplifting music plays throughout video]

[Text appears]

At Shell, we’re supporting the circular economy by developing new ways to make plastic more easily recyclable.

We’re advancing the technology that revolutionizes the life span of polymers – making the molecules turn full circle from manufacture to use and then re-use.

The process begins with one of our partners in advanced recycling, Nexus Circular.

They receive plastic waste from homes, businesses and events like the New Orleans Jazz Fest where we’re helping to divert tons of hard to recycle plastic from landfill.

Nexus then sorts and shreds it before turning the plastics into an oil using a technique called pyrolysis.

The oil is then transported to our Norco plant in Louisiana where it’s converted into ethylene - that through mass balancing can be applied to the polymer production at our new, Shell Polymers Monaca facility.

This fully certified recycled product has thousands of applications in modern daily life.

Together, with our support for innovation in the packaging industry and further developments in plastic waste collection and sorting, we can make plastic waste a thing of the past.

And the circular economy the future.

Sustainability news & learning

Topics

Content type

...
Real world recycling innovation

Learn about the innovative advanced recycling methods on the horizon and how they could change the sustainability game.

Check out recycling methods
...
Plastics and the environment

From lowering GHG emissions and more, plastic plays an integral role in our lives for many reasons.

Learn about the impact
...
Reducing plastic waste

There are many ways both converters and consumers can prevent harmful waste from entering the environment.

Read reduction methods
Larry in front of plant machinery
Plastic roads prove to be the real deal

Project Services Manager Larry Dietrich has spearheaded using reclaimed plastic in the plant roads to help support a circular economy.

Check out the project

Enabling

circularity

One way we’re moving toward a more sustainable future at Shell Polymers is by supporting a circular economy where resources are kept in use for as long as possible through a variety of methods.

Icon of shipping container

By 2030, Shell will increase the amount of recycled plastic in Shell-branded packaging to 30% and ensure that the packaging used for products is reusable or recyclable.

Icon of tree enclosed by circular arrow

Shell will also increase the amount of recycled materials used to make products, starting with plastics.

Our site initiatives

GPS-enabled railcars
Leading industry experts
Powering self-sufficiency
Using recycled material
Water treatment facility

GPS-enabled railcars

Rail is one of the most sustainable forms of transportation. By using GPS tracking, we can enable a more accurate transportation-related GHG emissions number.

Leading industry experts

Our Innovation Center is fundamental to the resin qualification process and ongoing quality control. It also enables our experts to form (Real)ationships and collaborate with customers like you to help guide your sustainable efforts.

Shell employee in suit Shell employee with arms crossed
Shell employee with arms crossed
Shell employee in green sweater

Powering self-sufficiency

The co-generation unit generates all the plant’s power, which allows our site to be 100% self-sufficient. (Fun fact: The unit can even help power about 73,000 local homes in case of an outage!)

Using recycled material

The six miles of roads around the plant and 47,000 square yards of parking lots on site use an asphalt featuring a performance modifier derived exclusively from post-consumer polyethylene and polypropylene. In the end, the project reused post-consumer polyethylene in a volume equivalent to that of 3 million plastic grocery bags.

Animation of 3D truck running over waste and creating a road

Water treatment facility

Our facility treats the Ohio River water with various methods such as clarification, filtration, and demineralization to produce water for steam and cooling. The treated water is then returned to the source with better quality.

Sustainability report 2023

Interested in just how Shell is going to pave the way to net-zero? From managing greenhouse gas emissions to providing lower-carbon electricity, there are many plans in place.

Cautionary Note

The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this webpage “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this webpage refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as “joint ventures” and “joint operations”, respectively. “Joint ventures” and “joint operations” are collectively referred to as “joint arrangements”. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as “associates”. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

Forward-Looking Statements

This webpage contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”, “ambition”, ‘‘anticipate’’, ‘‘believe’’, ‘‘could’’, ‘‘estimate’’, ‘‘expect’’, ‘‘goals’’, ‘‘intend’’, ‘‘may’’, “milestones”, ‘‘objectives’’, ‘‘outlook’’, ‘‘plan’’, ‘‘probably’’, ‘‘project’’, ‘‘risks’’, “schedule”, ‘‘seek’’, ‘‘should’’, ‘‘target’’, ‘‘will’’ and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this webpage, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this webpage are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this webpage and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this webpage, December 15, 2023. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this webpage.

Shell’s net carbon intensity

Also, in this webpage we may refer to Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity”, which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the term Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” is for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.

Shell’s net-Zero Emissions Target

Shell’s operating plan, outlook and budgets are forecasted for a ten-year period and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next ten years. Accordingly, they reflect our Scope 1, Scope 2 and Net Carbon Intensity (NCI) targets over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plans cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target and 2035 NCI target, as these targets are currently outside our planning period. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.

Forward Looking Non-GAAP measures

This webpage may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures such as [cash capital expenditure] and [divestments]. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking Non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those Non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.

The contents of websites referred to in this webpage do not form part of this webpage.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this webpage that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

The latest polyethylene industry insights, delivered to your inbox

Let's get real

There’s no such thing as "TMI" here, so help us get to know your business.

Which team are you most interested in forming connection with?

Submit

Thank you!

We can't wait to connect, but we'd first like a little more informaion to better help you!

Let's do this