Why is LyondellBasell closing its remaining polypropylene plant in Brindisi, Italy, by end-2026?

LyondellBasell is closing its remaining Brindisi PP plant due to 'complex market conditions' and 'increasingly high structural costs' that have 'progressively reduced its competitiveness', compounded by the March 2025 shutdown of Versalis’s Brindisi steam cracker—which supplied 255,000 mt/y of propylene feedstock—leaving the PP unit without direct access to critical raw materials and undermining its viability.

How many jobs will be affected by the closure of LyondellBasell’s Brindisi PP plant, and what was the plant’s production capacity and primary product use?

The closure will affect 81 direct employees and another 150 workers in related industries; the plant is a Spheripol unit with a nameplate capacity of 260,000 metric tons/year, producing homopolymer resins primarily for packaging applications, and has been operational since 1982.

LyondellBasell to close Brindisi PP plant by end of 2026 – reports

Jun 12, 2026

LyondellBasell plans to close its remaining polypropylene plant in Brindisi, Italy, citing high structural costs and feedstock shortages following a competitor's shutdown. The move affects 81 direct employees amid weak European demand and price pressure on PP resins.

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