Paving the way to an increased share of recycled plastics in added value products (RIA)

To allow recycled plastics to be more promptly taken up as raw material for new products there is a need for reliable and standardised procedures to characterise, trace back origin and guarantee the safety of the recyclates. The proposals should address one or more of the following areas:

• Developing standard, robust and easy to use sampling and analysis procedures to ensure consistent recyclate quality and safe products. Develop methodologies to establish the degree of degradation of recycled materials and to foresee their end-of-life;
• Developing and standardising methods for traceability. Allow the identification of origin of recycled materials via digital information management, e.g. marking technologies or blockchain;
• Detect and separate legacy additive in the waste stream, and ensure safe recycling of plastics containing such additives;
• Diffusing innovation, developing overarching best practices and build up communities to stimulate demonstration.

Proposals submitted under this topic should include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination.

Proposals should actively pursue the involvement of all the actors in the value chain from the chemical and material industry, to formulators, recyclers, public authorities and standardisation bodies.

This topic is open for international cooperation where the EU has reciprocal benefit, while excluding industrial competitors from countries where the safeguarding of IPRs cannot be guaranteed.