December 23, 2025 14:17

Prysmian and Versalis (ENI) have signed a strategic partnership to recover plastic waste from cables—difficult to treat via mechanical recycling—by means of chemical recycling, establishing a dedicated value chain.

Under the agreement, cable maker Prysmian will collect plastic scrap generated at its plants as well as end-of-life cables from customers; these wastes will be supplied to Versalis, which, at its Mantua site in Italy, will use its Hoop chemical recycling technology—commissioned last summer—to convert them into pyrolysis oil, a feedstock for producing new polymers.

Using Versalis’ Hoop technology, Prysmian believes that roughly 60% of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) scrap and other polymers from power cable insulating sheaths can be converted into a reusable raw material for manufacturing new cables.

“Thanks to this agreement, we will give new life to old scrap. The first pilot project will kick off in Italy in the second half of 2026, and this step forward is another strong signal of our continued focus on finding new sustainable solutions for our customers and the planet, as we help to reduce the environmental impact of our supply chain and reduce emissions,” said Srinivas Siripurapu (pictured at right), chief sustainability, innovation and R&D officer at Prysmian.

“This collaboration with Prysmian is strategic and demonstrates how our research and advanced technologies can provide concrete solutions for managing the end of life of complex products. Thanks to this joint project, we actively contribute to making the industrial sector more sustainable and circular,” added Fabio Assandri (at right in photo), head of R&D, licensing and projects development at Versalis.

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