CIRCE Presents Advances in Plastic Recycling Research in Brussels

This June, CIRCE participated in two events in Brussels, where it showcased the progress made in its research on sustainability and the circular economy within the plastic recycling sector.

Tatiana García, Director of the Environment and Energy Group, was responsible for presenting the projects coordinated by CIRCE—HARMONI, CIRC-PACK, and polynSPIRE—at the 'Plastics Circularity – Synergies in H2020 Projects' event, organized by the DEMETO project ('Modular, scalable and high-performance DE-polymerization by MicrowavE TechnolOgy').

This event served as an international forum for debating the main barriers in Europe to achieving the plastic recycling goals set by the European Commission.

As a result, the event succeeded in mapping out a collaboration strategy among related projects to maximize their impact. The various presentations highlighted the need to address existing legislation, particularly the Waste Directive and the end-of-waste status, as the differing transpositions of these laws across countries complicate the implementation of recycling strategies.

It was also deemed a priority to create standards and quality protocols to regulate and classify recycling processes, particularly chemical recycling, as well as the products obtained in a harmonized manner across Europe.

Other key conclusions from the international event included the importance of increasing collaboration between projects by creating common databases to establish the most suitable model for managing different types of polymers, ensuring the traceability of streams and materials to meet quality commitments, obtaining reliable data for recycling statistics, and the importance of involving all stakeholders in the value chain, especially the end consumer.

Additionally, CIRCE had the opportunity to participate in the first European Chemical Recycling Conference, which was held the following day in Brussels. The conference brought together around 150 representatives from key companies in the plastics sector, technology developers, and public administrations. At the conference, Tatiana García, on behalf of CIRCE, presented the polynSPIRE project as a key initiative for advancing the chemical recycling of polyamides and polyurethanes.