Pack2TheLoop

Project Duration: 1^st April 2021 until 30^th June 2024

The European Union's Circular Economy Package is calling for a turnaround in the plastics industry: by 2030, 55% of all plastic packaging in EU member states is to be recycled. This project aims to contribute to the development of quality-assured recyclates from post-consumer materials and thus to the elaboration of a closed-loop system for packaging materials. The first step in the project is an inventory of waste generation. In detail, hollow bodies made of polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as well as cups made of polypropylene and polystyrene (PS) will be dealt with in the Austrian value chain. With the help of these use cases, mechanical recycling tests will be carried out and the recyclates will be examined for contaminants. Based on the tests, Design4Recycling recommendations will be derived.

• Development of quality-assured recyclates from dimensionally stable post-consumer packaging
• Demonstration of a closed loop using cups and hollow containers
• Further development of the ‘Design for Recycling’ criteria
• Establishment of ‘Design from Recycling’ as an evidence-based key to future-proof and recyclable packaging

Sustainability and Design