Project description
Sustainable plastics recycling
The waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) plastics sector has not yet adopted the circular model due to the fragmented nature of the plastics value chain. Also, WEEE recycled plastics are perceived as unattractive materials by end users. In this context, the EU-funded PolyCE project will demonstrate the feasibility of a circular plastics supply and value chain. This will be achieved by significantly reducing the generation of WEEE plastics and increasing the use of recycled plastics in new applications. The project will focus on developing harmonised technical requirements that cover the entire value chain, as well as establishing a grading system for recycled plastics based on their material properties and suitability for specific applications.
Objective
Various activities address the WEEE value chain in order to reduce waste generation and enhance the sustainable resource management through use of recycled materials instead of their virgin counterparts. While the system for metals recycling is already well established, the rising volumes of waste plastics point to stalemates in the current plastics economy, which hamper its shift to a more circular model. Although there are individual efforts to improve the collection and recycling of WEEE plastics, the plastics value chain is still too fragmented and WEEE recycled plastics seem unattractive material for the end-user. To shift towards circular economy a systematic transformation is required, involving all actors in the value chain and encompassing the entire lifecycle of plastic materials.
While substantially reducing the WEEE plastics generation and enhancing the use of recycled plastics in new applications, PolyCE will demonstrate the feasibility of circular plastics supply and value chain. In particular, PolyCE will elaborate harmonized set of technical requirements addressing the entire value chain and develop grade system for recycled plastics according to their material properties and final application suitability. Accordingly, PolyCE will strengthen the market for recycled plastics through an online platform integrating the different plastic grades. In parallel, the technical and economic feasibility as well as environmental benefits of using recycled plastics will be validated in several electronics demonstrators. In addition, PolyCE will provide Guidelines for designing new electronics products with recycled plastics. The project’s impact will be scaled up by involving target cities and their green public procurement initiatives; by EU-wide information and awareness raising campaigns. PolyCE will establish a feedback loop from the research activities, provide policy input regarding technical feasibilities and policy conflicts from technical perspective
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementbusiness models
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
80686 Munchen
Germany
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Participants (21)
150 8925 Shibuya Ku Tokyo
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NN1 5PH Northampton
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3331 Kematen An Der Ybbs
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32257 Bunde
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
20009 DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN (GIPUZKOA)
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9000 Gent
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3000 Leuven
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46115 Valencia
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Participation ended
02150 Espoo
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Participation ended
20020 Lainate
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61350 Bad Homburg
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
3991 CN Houten
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
91190 SAINT AUBIN
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1000 Bruxelles / Brussel
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10623 Berlin
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5656 AG Eindhoven
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20156 Milano
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06134 Perugia
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
W4 5PY London
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
5656 AG Eindhoven
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20161 MILAN
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