Plastics recycling by design
date: 02/10/2018
permalink: Main URL
Plastics are versatile materials found in packaging, construction, transportation, equipment, furnishings, clothing, and other vital applications. Providing the conditions are right, they can (and should) play a key role in Europe’s circular economy. RecyClass, an online platform by Plastics Recyclers Europe, was created to make sure this happens.
Every year, Europeans generate some 25 million tonnes of plastic waste, but less than 30 % is collected for recycling. Vast quantities end up as marine litter. The EU has set its sights on fixing this. In January this year, it launched the European Strategy for Plastics a Circular Economy, which seeks to transform the way plastic products are designed, used, produced and recycled.
“By 2030, all plastic packaging will have to be reusable or recyclable in an economically viable manner,” remarked Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, in response to the launch. And while this may seem like a decent lead time, a lot of work needs to be done across the plastics value chain before this can be achieved.
Packaging, for instance, is still largely conceived in linear terms for single-use applications, and often designed without end-of-life considerations. “This is a challenge that citizens, industry and governments must tackle together. With the EU Plastics Strategy we are also driving a new and more circular business model. We need to invest in innovative new technologies that keep our citizens and our environment safe whilst keeping our industry competitive,” said VP Timmermans in a press statement.
Pioneering platform
Better design of plastic products, higher plastic waste recycling rates, more and better quality recyclates, in turn, help to boost the market for recycled plastics and “deliver greater added value for a more competitive, resilient plastics industry”, according to the Commission.
Indeed, the launch of the RecyClass Platform was driven by industry’s recognition of and, interest in, tailor-made designs for their packaging products. It fills a gap between different industry actors and works towards bringing the knowledge of recyclers right down to the packaging producers.
The platform provides specific indications and recommendations on how to improve packaging design to fit current recycling technologies. Through its network of members and affiliates, the Platform draws on the hands-on experience of European plastics recyclers.
A class of its own
RecyClass provides support and guidance to plastic value chain actors interested in improving packaging design and boosting recycling efforts. It is a direct response to wider European (and global) ambitions to save resources, reduce waste and meet the objectives of the 2018 Circular Economy Package – where resources are kept in use for as long as possible and the maximum value is extracted from them during their lifetime thanks to recycling, repairing and re-purposing.
Platform members contribute to, and draw on, the experience of different actors involved in each step of the plastics value chain. A clever product certification and rating system, from ‘A’ (fully recyclable) to ‘F’ (non-recyclable), underpins the whole RecyClass value proposition.
Platform features include member support services, co-branding opportunities, advice on company recycling policy, training programmes, and other benefits determined by the membership level (i.e. bronze, gold or platinum). The Platform maintains an open call for new members covering the whole plastics value chain.
More info
RAPID Press Release on Plastics Strategy