The declaration contains the following specific key points: With the aim of improving the recyclability of plastics or ensuring that plastic products contain more recycled plastics, the designs and the recipes used should be optimized in the future. In order to make progress in the collection, sorting and recycling of plastic waste, the identification of previously untapped potential within the value chain and in waste management across the EU is required. Furthermore, material flows from plastics are to be identified and monitored. A research and development agenda is to be developed for a cycle-oriented plastics industry.
Prof. Dr. Martin Bastian, Institute Director at the SKZ, is enthusiastic: “We are pleased to have signed the Circular Plastics Alliance declaration in early November 2019. With this we want to send a signal to achieve with our partners the ambitious goals of the EU Commission regarding recycling quotas. We always want to keep an eye on the concerns of the plastics industry and provide clarification in the heated public plastics discussion. "
The SKZ is already supporting companies in a wide range of business areas with solutions for improved recycling of plastics that are to be expanded in the future. The research and service portfolio ranges from recyclate-based material and product development to the development of digital applications and business models to strengthen the secondary plastics market, to the optimization of reprocessing processes and the processing of recyclates. Another focus is consumer education, which begins at the SKZ with the youngsters in the in-house school laboratory and ranges from courses for training and further education to conference events with public shares.
