Visit Plastics Europe at IFAT 2024 | Booth A6.121
Join Our Keynotes at IFAT 2024
Friday, Mai 17, 11:30 am: „Innovative recycling processes for complex waste streams“, Orange Stage
Plastics Europe Is Enabling a Sustainable Future with Plastics
We are increasing our efforts to reduce plastic waste, promote the reuse collection, and recycling of plastic waste, and have accelerated the transition to a circular economy in response. We are striving to achieve “zero plastics to landfill” and 100% recovery of plastic waste.
The Contribution of the Plastic Producers
The European plastic producers aim to be climate-neutral by 2050, in line with the European Green Deal. This includes using less fossil resources, like crude oil, and natural gas, and shifting to alternative feedstocks, such as bio-based resources, recycled materials, and CO2:
- Carbon neutral production
- Non-fossil feedstocks
- Complementary of mechanical and chemical recycling solutions
The Contribution of the Plastic Converters
To meet the European climate and circular economy targets, products and their packaging must be designed to use less material and become optimized for reuse or recycling. The implementation of „design for recycling” principles involves the use of various strategies to conserve resources:
- Circular design
- Reduce, reuse, repair, and refill
- Recycling
The Contribution of the Waste Management Industry
Closing the loop on plastic waste demands comprehensive collection, sorting, and processing. This calls for investments in new technologies and further development of the waste infrastructure:
- Collecting and sorting
- Tracing technologies
- Complementary of mechanical and chemical recycling solutions
Enabling Circular Products
The goal is to produce primarily from non-fossil and circular materials, utilize them responsibly, and ensure they’re collected, processed, and recycled at the end of their lifespan.
Mono-Material
Crafting products from mono-material is among the simplest methods to improve recyclability. It helps to sort plastic waste by material type, shredding it, and then mechanically recycling and processing it into new products with minimal energy consumption. Examples:
- Stand-up pouches
- Toothbrushes
- Food storage containers
Bio-based Materials and bio-based feedstock
It’s possible to produce plastics without fossil feedstocks. It can also be made from biomass, obtained from algae, sugar cane, or organic waste. Replacing fossil feedstock with bio-based feedstock is an effective approach to reducing carbon emissions in plastic. Examples:
- Soothers made of renewable resources
- Medical products made from old frying fat
- Food packaging made from industrial cornstarch
Chemically Recycled Materials
Chemical recycling offers the possibility of recycling heavily mixed or soiled plastic waste and converting it into new raw materials. These recycled raw materials make it possible to replace fossil feedstocks in the manufacturing process of new plastic products while maintaining the same quality. Examples:
- Food contact packaging, attributed raw material coming from mixed plastic waste
- Bicycle tube Attributed raw material coming from old rubber tires
- Foils: Attributed raw material coming from post-consumer waste
Materials from Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU)
Carbon Capture and Utilization make it possible to use CO2 Emissions as a feedstock and utilize it to create new chemical compounds. This way, we can transform emissions from pollutants into products. Examples:
- Running shoes
- Furniture
- Concrete
How Would you Recycle these waste streams?
Learn more about the complementarity of mechanical and chemical recycling solutions to ensure no opportunity for circularity is left untapped.
Unlock the full potential of your waste streams
with Chemical Recycling
Learn more about common use cases.
Enzymolosis
Enzymolysis is a technology that utilizes biochemical processes and a variety of biocatalysts to break down polymers into their fundamental building blocks. Common use case:
- Processing hard-to-recycle PET
- Recycling PA and PET from textiles
Depolymerization
Depolymerization is a chemical process in which polymers are broken down into their basic components. In this process, the plastic waste is broken down into smaller molecules, such as its original monomers. These monomers can then be purified, reassembled, and used to produce new plastics. To be successful, the technology requires relatively homogeneous and purified waste streams. Unfortunately, suitable EPR systems to access waste streams are not yet widely available. Common use case:
- Recovering polyurethanes (e.g. in mattresses) and polyamides containing waste streams
- Recycling polycarbonate in unrivaled quality
Liquefaction
Liquefaction turns wet biomass and other large molecules, like polymers, into crude oil-like material using heat and pressure, often with the help of catalysts to improve results. Common use case:
- Recycling of soiled plastic waste
- Recycling medical waste
Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is a thermochemical recycling method that converts mixed or soiled plastic wastes into crude-oil-like liquids, solids, and gases in the absence of oxygen and in the presence of heat. Common use-case:
- Recycling of used tires
- Recycling of mixed plastic waste not suitable for mechanical recycling.
Reach out at IFAT 2024
Your Contact at IFAT 2024
Bettina Dempewolf
Head of Communication
PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V.
bettina.dempewolf@plasticseurope.de
+49 (171) 9713962
Arcus Greencycling Technologies
Marcel Glas
marcel.glas@arcus-greencycling.com
+49 173 3911764
BASF
Benita von Haugwitz
benita.haugwitz@basf.com
+49 173 3799129
Carboliq
Luca Graebenteich
sgraebenteich@carboliq.com
+49 171 5379989
Dow
Valentina Beatovic-Dobmann
vbeatovic-dobmann@dow.com
+49 16090292200
Evonik
Katja Marx
katja.marx@evonik.com
Neste
Nils Pfennig
nils.pfennig@neste.com
+49 175 6547338
OMV
Beate Edl
beate.edl@omv.com
+43 664 612 1197
Plastics Europe – Booth A6.121, IFAT 2024
Further Reading
2) KreislaufwirtschaftPLUS – Recommendations for a
National Circular Economy Strategy (GER)
5) Fact Sheet – Mass Balances at a glance
6) Facht Sheet – Chemical Recycling (GER)
7) Soffstrombild – Material flow diagram for plastics in Germany 2021 (GER)
8) Plastics Europes Recommendations on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)
9) Plastics Europes Position on the Global Plastics Treaty
10) KIT on Chemical Recycling of Mixed Plastic Wastes
11) Advanced recycling technologies (e.g. digital watermarking)
12) Developing waste management systems / increasing recycling capacity in emerging markets
13) Elevating the informal sector to facilitate a just transition for waste pickers
14) Plastic Waste Management Framework