Lawyers challenging the construction of Europe's largest plastic plant in Antwerp have argued that pollution from the facility could cause more deaths than the number of permanent jobs it would create. The legal challenge, filed on Thursday in Belgium's council for permit disputes, claims that air pollution from Ineos's €4bn Project One petrochemical plant would lead to 410 deaths once operational, compared with the 300 permanent jobs the company says will be created.
The plant would transform ethane from fracked US shale gas into ethylene, the raw material used to make plastic, through a process called cracking. Project One is designed to boost European plastic production significantly. Petrochemical facilities emit particulate matter during operations, contributing to health risks.
Tatiana Luján of Client Earth, who is leading the case, stated that new evidence shows the carbon emissions of Project One would vastly exceed Ineos's own estimates. Ineos's assessment projected direct annual carbon emissions of 655,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, but lawyers argue the company failed to calculate full lifecycle emissions. A report by Data Desk submitted to the court estimates the full supply chain emissions could reach 3.8m tonnes of CO2e each year, around five times higher than Ineos's figure.
Luján emphasised that recent court rulings on including scope 3 emissions in environmental impact assessments strengthen the legal challenge. Scope 3 emissions are those that do not occur on-site but would not exist without the facility. She noted, "This is the first time a court will weigh in on scope 3 and plastics. That makes it a crucial case."
Ineos told the Guardian they had not been officially notified of the appeal and were unable to comment in detail. They expressed disappointment at the legal action, stating it undermines legal certainty for investments in European industry. The company reiterated its commitment to Project One, describing it as "the most environmentally friendly steam cracker in Europe, with carbon emissions less than half those of the most efficient European installations."
