Project description
Tackling tarpaulin waste with recycling
Tarpaulins are large plastic sheets of strong, flexible, water-resistant material used for protection from extreme conditions. However, over 99 % end up in landfills or incinerators. The EU-funded RETAIN project aims to ensure that by 2036, 90% of tarpaulins in the EU are reused, remanufactured, or recycled. With a mechanical, physical and selective dissolution-based recycling technologies, the project will demonstrate industrial-scale circular business practices. It features a ‘gate control’ decision-making mechanism and a digital product passport to ensure full traceability and quality validation. Overall, RETAIN is transforming end-of-life plastics into valuable resources, setting new standards for sustainable manufacturing and waste management.
Objective
Tarpaulins are complex composite-like materials, typically composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as reinforcement material and plasticized/soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as coating material. These durable plastics have a wide range of applications going from trailer covers to professional tents and from advertisement banners to biogas membranes. Each year 200 kton of tarpaulins enter the EU market, 65% of this volume , corresponding to ca. 200 Mio m2, being produced in the EU. After their functional lifetime, which ranges from a few months up to 30 years, over 99% of tarpaulins currently end up as landfill or are being incinerated as today’s recycling technologies are insufficient. The target of RETAIN is to contribute to the final ambition of having by 2036 at least 90% of circular tarpaulins use (re-used, remanufactured or recycled). To reach our ambition, we will further develop various recycling technologies (i.e. mechanical, physical, and selective dissolution) and demonstrate circular business practices (advanced collection, monitoring, sorting, repair/reuse/recycling and conversion of post-production and end-of-life tarpaulins) at TRL8 scale at three DEMO locations in the EU. Additionally, we will develop and implement an efficient decision-making mechanism for process and lifecycle optimization such as the RETAIN gate control procedure for post-industrial and end-of-life tarpaulins. Finally, we will implement a digital product passport (DPP) for tarpaulins to ensure traceability, support certification and quality validation, quantify environmental, social, and economic impacts, incorporate learning and training activities, contribute to relevant standards, and connect with other recycling initiatives in the EU and abroad.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.6 - Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL6-2024-CIRCBIO-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8850 Ardooie
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.