Braven Environmental has pulled out of its $145 million pyrolysis plant planned for Texarkana, Texas, terminating its contract with the TexAmericas industrial park at the end of March — just before the deadline to finalize the purchase of 74 acres at the site. The Texarkana Gazette first reported the withdrawal on May 24.

The company announced the project in 2025, selecting a site in the TexAmericas industrial business park. It had secured support under the state's Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation (JETI) incentive program, championed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

What was the Texarkana project supposed to deliver?

Braven planned to convert what it called "hard-to-recycle plastics" into PyChem, a product it markets both as an alternative fuel and as a feedstock for manufacturing new plastic.

The JETI deal came with specific, trackable commitments:

• A 10-year property tax reduction of at least 50%.
• At least 10 new jobs in Bowie County, Texas.
• A minimum $20 million investment in the region.

None of that capacity will now be built at TexAmericas. Scott Norton, CEO of TexAmericas, told the Texarkana Gazette that Braven notified him of the contract termination at the end of March, close to the deadline for finalizing the 74-acre land purchase.

Is the company still operating?

The signs are murky. It is unclear what comes next for Braven or for its existing pyrolysis plant in Zebulon, North Carolina. The phone number listed on Braven's website appears disconnected, and the company's media email address is no longer functioning.

A key commercial question also hangs open. In March 2025, Braven announced a "long term" offtake agreement with BASF for its pyrolysis oil. BASF did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the status of that agreement.

This is the second time a Braven expansion has collapsed. The company previously agreed to invest $31.7 million in a manufacturing operation in Cumberland County, Virginia, announced in 2020. That project fell through two years later.

How does the cancellation fit the Texas chemical recycling picture?

Texas has drawn multiple chemical recycling projects, aided by business incentives and proximity to petrochemical operations. Backers frame these plants as a route to recycling plastics that mechanical systems reject, with potential feedstock business for MRFs and other recyclers.

The sector's largest player keeps scaling in the state. ExxonMobil, which runs some of the largest chemical recycling facilities in North America, announced in February that it opened its third such operation in Baytown, Texas, with capacity to process up to 250 million pounds of plastic per year.

Environmental groups have long challenged the sector's claims. Critics, including Beyond Plastics, say chemical recycling facilities contribute to air and water pollution while overpromising on recycling outcomes. Beyond Plastics has specifically criticized Braven and peers for marketing outputs as a sustainable feedstock for new plastics without transparent data on actual recycling yields.

The immediate milestone to watch is BASF's response on the offtake agreement — and any statement from Braven on the status of the Zebulon plant. Whether the company clarifies its operations, or continues to go quiet, will determine whether this cancellation marks a retreat or a wind-down.