Recently, Versalis, a chemical company under Italian energy giant Eni Group, has formed a strategic partnership with global Cable Machinery manufacturer Prysmian to establish a dedicated chemical recycling supply chain for waste plastic cables. This collaboration underscores the evolving role of wire and cable machinery in fostering circular economies.
According to the agreement, Prysmian will collect plastic waste from its manufacturing process and scrapped cables returned by customers. The company’s advanced wire and cable machinery and wire take up machine systems will facilitate efficient collection and pre-processing. Versalis will utilize its proprietary Hoop chemical recycling technology to process these materials at its Mantua factory in northern Italy. The Hoop process can convert mixed plastic waste into pyrolysis oil, which can then be used as raw materials for producing new plastic polymers. Prysmian plans to reuse these recycled polymers for the production of high-performance energy cables, leveraging its cable manufacturing machine and pvc extrusion line technologies to integrate sustainable materials seamlessly into production.
This project will apply chemical recycling technology on a large scale to process cross-linked cables containing all polymer layers, which is expected to create a closed-loop system for cable materials. The integration of electric cable making machine systems will further enhance the efficiency and scalability of this sustainable manufacturing approach. The entire initiative demonstrates how innovation across the spectrum of Wire and cable equipment, from material handling to final production, is critical to achieving sustainability goals. The two companies estimate that this method can recycle and reuse about 60% of cross-linked polyethylene waste, which is a significant improvement compared to traditional mechanical recycling methods。A core production asset like the Cable Extrusion Line will be pivotal in processing these new recycled polymers into high-quality cable sheathing and insulation.
Currently, both parties plan to launch a pilot project in Italy in the second half of 2026.
