Ineos drives surge in US fracked ethane exports to Europe

Ineos has become a major driver of US fracked ethane exports, supplying gas used to make plastics at its European facilities. The findings highlight how European plastic production relies on a fuel extracted through fracking, which is banned in much of Europe because of environmental concerns, while raising questions about impacts on communities near US wells.

Analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) found that shipments by or for Ineos grew about 7.3-fold, from 429,000 tonnes in 2016 to 3.13 million tonnes in 2025. CIEL estimates Ineos accounts for at least two-thirds of US ethane exports; between 2016 and 2025, it identified 790 shipments on Ineos-branded vessels, mostly to Norway and Scotland. In Washington County, Pennsylvania, where Ineos sources gas under a long-term deal with Range Resources, resident and campaigner Lois Bower-Bjornson attributes her children’s health problems to nearby fracking wells.