Traditional linear manufacturing and consumption models (“take, make and dispose”) of electronic products are related to significant negative environmental externalities. Ac-cording to the UN, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is now the fastest-growing waste stream in the world with an estimated arising of 48.5 million tonnes in 2018. While metals are usually recovered from the WEEE stream because of their high material value, post-consumer recycled (PCR) WEEE plastics often end up in incineration or landfill.
Due to increased use of plastics and low recycling rates, plastics has been identified as one of the key priority areas to deal with for a sustainable future in the EU (EU action plan for the Circular Economy). Furthermore, the EC published a Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy in 2018 in order to tackle the important issue of plastics and to pave the way to a more sustainable use of this material. PolyCE joins this effort by addressing the numerous barriers related to PCR WEEE plastics recycling along the entire value chain.
Recycling of WEEE plastics has the potential to make an important contribution to create local and sustainable jobs. Estimations indicate that the enforcement of higher recycling rates could contribute to 80.000 new direct jobs by 2025, mainly in the sector of collec-tion, sorting, separation and recycling.
The objectives of PolyCE are to demonstrate circular economy solutions while re-designing the value and supply chain for plastics contained in WEEE. The project has re-designed the value chain of WEEE plastics by improving the after-use management of WEEE post-consumer plastic considering both dematerialisation concepts and the reverse logistics for end of first life. PolyCE tested alternative business models, incl. the demate-rialisation concept (including but not limited to leasing, remanufacture and longevity) with producers of plastic containing materials. PolyCE has brought key players inside the Consortium together and built a network of experts from the entire plastics supply and value chain - from virgin plastics and additives manufacturers, plastics compounders and converters, electronic manufacturers, WEEE collectors and recyclers to final consumers and policy makers. PolyCE has developed a marketplace platform for PCR plastics to enhance the market of secondary materials. PolyCE contributes significantly to reducing the environmental footprint related to virgin plastics production and to incineration and landfill. PolyCE has built awareness through EU-wide - and even beyond - awareness raising campaigns and promoted lifecycle engineering and sustainability across industry and academia through dedicated technical workshops and PolyCE Academy. The results of the project have been injected as policy input to the legislative “hot topics”.
