Resource efficiency and circular economy

The world currently consumes more natural resources than the Earth can produce. Therefore, it is our responsibility to make more from less.

We are continuously seeking ways to increase the material efficiency of our operations. Our refineries operate efficiently and only a very small fraction of the raw materials we use end up as waste.

Someone's waste, our raw material – renewable fuels from waste

We do not utilize energy from waste through incineration, for example, but produce  completely new types of products from it, for example our premium-quality Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ and Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™. The fuels can replace the use of fossil fuels and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Waste and residues account for over 90% of our annual renewable raw material inputs globally. We also have the capability of producing renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel from 100% waste and residue raw materials. We continuously investigate opportunities to utilize even lower-quality waste and residues.

We use approximately ten different renewable raw materials each year to produce renewable products, such as renewable transportation and aviation fuels, as well as feedstock for the production of renewable polymers and chemicals.

Material efficiency in conventional oil refining

Oil refining is highly efficient in terms of material consumption, as a large part of the raw materials used can be recovered. Crude oil can be utilized in many ways, and only a small fraction ends up as waste. The final product that does not meet the quality requirements can be returned to the refining process.

We aim to become a leader in low-carbon refining, and are exploring ways to utilize liquefied plastic waste to replace crude oil in the production of fuels, chemicals, and new plastics.

Circulating materials in industrial symbioses

We aim to save materials and protect the environment. All of our refineries are located in industrial areas, which offers opportunities for leveraging synergies with neighboring plants. For example, at our Porvoo refinery we recover sulfur from raw materials for oil refining. The sulfur is processed into elemental sulfur, which is used as a product as such. In addition, the Porvoo refinery generates annually around 10,000 tons of used wash lye, which is used by the pulp industry. 

The Singapore and Rotterdam refineries are able to make use of side streams and process waste from nearby companies in their own production processes.

CO₂ recovery plant 

The CO₂ recovery plant in Singapore was established in March 2016. CO₂ recovery increases the resource efficiency of the refinery, and reduces the carbon footprint of renewable products over their life cycle.The refining process of crude oil based products at our Porvoo refinery also generates CO₂, some of which is recovered and sold to the local gas company.