Circular Plastics

Sustainable plastic value chains, circular economy, renewably-sourced plastics, recycling & end of life valorisation

Background

Plastics deliver value through convenient, versatile and lightweight consumer products and advanced performance in high end applications, but our current single-use, linear consumption model is broken. In line with the Plastic Strategy for Europe, the time has come to stop the depletion, landfilling and incineration and shift to a Circular Model in the plastic sector; improving the recycling rate but also the value of secondary raw materials from plastic recycling.

Key project: MultiCycle

MultiCycle is an Innovation Action that will deliver an industrial recycling pilot plant for thermoplastic based multi-materials using the patented CreaSolv® process as a key enabling step towards the realization of a circular plastics economy. It will demonstrate the shift to a circular economic model in two important industrial segments; multilayer packaging/flexible films and fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites in the automotive sector.

Launched to provide impact and dissemination support for MultiCycle, the Circular Plastics Helix is a virtual community of experts in the circular economy and plastics. It is led by AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre in Spain with 30 years of experience in the plastics industry, providing solutions to companies throughout the value chain, from raw material manufacturers to plastic processors, end users and recyclers.

The MultiCycle project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 820695 🇪🇺

Key project: PRESERVE

PRESERVE aims at boosting the circular use of bio-based packaging. To shift from the current situation (fossil-based, limited recycling), we build on award-winning upcycling strategies from past and on-going projects. We will enhance the performance of primary food packaging via bio-based barrier coatings for bioplastic and paper/board substrates.

The processes required to produce at least 10 packaging demonstrators will be upscaled. The enhanced bio-packaging will be validated with different types of food and drinks. Recovered biopolymers will be upcycled in added value applications such as packaging for personal care products and reusable carrier packaging (using textiles and composites). The versatility of our end of life options, materials, flexible and rigid packaging types and compatibility with different processes, ensure that PRESERVE results are relevant to more than 60% of the plastic packaging on the market.

By contributing to the EU Plastics Strategy in a circular economy, the PRESERVE circular renewably sourced packaging solutions and derived upcycled applications will not only optimally preserve the food and drink but also our environment and its finite resources.

The PRESERVE project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 952983 🇪🇺