Prysmian has signed a strategic partnership with Versalis, the chemical business of Eni, to recycle plastic cable scrap using an advanced chemical recycling process, with the aim of creating a dedicated circular supply chain.
Under the agreement, Prysmian will collect plastic waste from its own manufacturing operations as well as from decommissioned cables supplied by major customers. Versalis will then process the material at its Mantua site in Italy using its proprietary Hoop® technology. The process converts the plastic scrap into pyrolysis oil, which is subsequently transformed into new feedstock for plastic polymers.
These recycled polymers will be reintroduced into Prysmian’s production processes for the manufacture of new high-performance cables. The initiative addresses a long-standing challenge in the sector, as energy cables are often insulated with cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and other polymeric layers that are difficult to recycle using conventional mechanical methods.
Prysmian estimates that Versalis’s Hoop® chemical recycling technology will enable around 60% of XLPE scrap to be recovered and reused in the production of new cables. The companies said the partnership marks the first time that a cross-linked cable containing all polymeric layers together can be chemically recycled at scale, supporting the development of a circular model for the cable industry.
Srinivas Siripurapu, Chief Sustainability, Innovation and R&D Officer at Prysmian, said the agreement would allow the company to “give new life to old scrap”. He added that the first pilot project is expected to begin in Italy in the second half of 2026, describing it as another step in reducing the environmental impact of Prysmian’s supply chain and associated emissions.
Fabio Assandri, Head of R&D, Licensing and Projects Development at Versalis, said the collaboration demonstrated how research and advanced technologies can offer practical solutions for managing the end-of-life of complex products, while helping to make industrial processes more sustainable and circular.
