Construction of vast plastics plant by Shell: 'very painful'
Shell, our country's largest company, is constructing a vast plastics plant in the United States. And it is doing so at a time when the European Union, led by the Netherlands, is launching a major pact to combat use of plastic.
The plant in Pennsylvania is costing more than 6 billion euros and will produce polyethylene using shale gas. Although it will bring jobs to the region, scientists and environmental organisations are not enthusiastic.
For example Eshter Kentin, leader of the Leiden Advocacy Project on Plastic says 'this is really very painful', in Dutch newspaper AD (€). 'We want to move towards a future using clean energy, so oil companies are now changing to producing plastics. But this has no benefits whatsoever for the environment.'