Yvonne van der Laan

Yvonne van der Laan, the 2024 Winthrop-Sears Medal honoree, is a trailblazer in the field of sustainable and circular chemical solutions. As Executive Vice President of Circular and Low Carbon Solutions at LyondellBasell, Ms. van der Laan leads initiatives that are transforming the plastics industry by advancing recycling technologies and reducing carbon emissions. Her work is instrumental in driving LyondellBasell’s ambitious goal of producing and marketing 2 million tons of recycled and renewable-based polymers by 2030.

With over twenty years of experience in commercial and business leadership, including roles at the Port of Rotterdam, SABIC, and DSM, Ms. van der Laan has consistently championed innovative approaches to sustainability. At LyondellBasell, she and her team are making significant strides toward creating a circular economy, most recently through the development of MoReTec-1, the company’s first commercial-scale advanced recycling plant in Germany. This pioneering facility uses proprietary MoReTec technology to convert post-use plastics into valuable feedstock, setting a new standard for sustainable production.