Statutory recyclate quotas and the specifications of brand-name producers are weighing heavily on the packaging branch these days and turning recyclate availability into a hot issue. Some polymers are simply not available in sufficient amounts. Experts at the 31st Dresden Packaging Conference provided insights into the current situations and explained why the situation could worsen in the future.

Recyclates of many polymer types are hard to get right now.

16:9

Verpackungsmaterial

Logistik

Streifinger, Florian

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Hard-to-Find Recylates

Over past months, many in-house workflows and development processes have slowed down and also changed. Nevertheless, time has not stood still, also not in injection molding technology. The debate and development have been shaped by two themes: digitalization and the circular economy. Below are some examples of developments and projects that underpin this trend.

Two displays are seamlessly integrated into the continuously 3D-formed instrument panel

Innovative Injection Molding in Times of Pandemic

Spritzgießen

Schaumspritzgießen

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Steuern, Regeln

Software

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Folientechnik (IMD, IML, FIM, u.a.)

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Biokunststoffe

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Nachhaltigkeit

Spritzgießsimulation

Simulation

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

Spritzgießmaschinen

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Machine Learning / Künstliche Intelligenz für die spanende Fertigung

Industrie 4.0 für die spanende Fertigung

Lasermarkieren

Oberflächentechnik

Laserbearbeitungen

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

There Is More beyond the Horizon

Chilean plastics recycler Comberplast uses the new 1500 model from the Lindner Micromat series to shred old fishing nets and ropes collected from Patagonian coasts.

The Chilean plastics recycler and circular economy pioneer Comberplast uses a plant from Lindner. The company is shredding old fishing nets and ropes collected from the Patagonian coasts

Kunststoffverarbeitung allgemein

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Zerkleinerungsmaschinen

Cleaning up Coasts at the Edge of the World

Chinaplas 2022, to be held from April 25 to 28, will bring together more than 4000 exhibitors of the plastics and rubber industries from all over the world to launch innovative green solutions.

The 3rd Chinaplas x CPRJ Plastics Recycling and Circular Economy Conference and Showcase will be held one day prior to the show in Shanghai (photo from last year’s event).

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Verbände, Institutionen, Messen

Dienstleistungen

Kunststoff-Verpackungsmaschine

Sondermaschinen

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

The Theme Color of the Show Is Green

LyondellBasell starts commercial production of polymers using raw material derived from plastic waste at its Wesseling site.

The chemical company starts commercial production of polymers using raw material derived from plastic waste at Wesseling

Polymers Made from Plastic Waste

PlasticsEurope plans to significantly increase investment in chemical recycling: from EUR 2.6 billion in 2025 to EUR 7.2 billion in 2030. To further accelerate investments in this key technology and the transition towards a circular economy, the Association calls for a strong policy and regulatory framework.

1.2 million t of recycled plastics is the industry’s target for chemical recycling in 2025. By 2030, this figure is expected to rise to 3.4 million t per year

Verbände

kunststoffe.de

European Plastics Manufacturers Invest in Chemical Recycling

Initial testing of the material at the Ineos Styrolution laboratory did not show any measurable differences to native material.

EU life project ABSolutely Circular: Indaver and Ineos Styrolution announced production of first ABS with recycled styrene

ABS with Recycled Styrene

Fraunhofer Institute Umsicht, Sabic and Procter & Gamble are collaborating on a pilot project for closed-loop recycling of single-use facemasks.

The pilot project with Sabic and Procter & Gamble demonstrate the feasibility of closed-loop recycling for single-use facemasks

Technik Trend

kunststoffe-international.com

Recycling of Single-Use Facemasks

PreZero, division of Schwarz Group, is planning the acquisition of Ferrovial’s waste disposal and recycling business in Spain and Portugal and thus will be active on the Iberian Peninsula for the first time.

PreZero is planning the acquisition of Ferrovial’s waste disposal and recycling business in Spain and Portugal

Contract Conclusion between PreZero and Ferrovial

A new process developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP is able to isolate carbon black ash recovered from old tires – allowing both the carbon black and the minerals from the ash to be reused.

Top, primary product from left to right: raw rCB, clean rCB (96+), pearlized clean rCB (96+). Bottom, secondary products recovered from the ash, from left to right: liquid sodium silicate or “water glass”, precipitated SiO2, precipitated ZnSO4

Pigmente

Additive

Farbstoffe und Pigmente

Farbstoffe

Carbon Black Recycled from Car Tires

The circular economy, electromobility and the continuing corona pandemic are influencing color selection for plastics. Kunststoffe asked colorant manufacturers about the resulting color trends. We also wanted to know what effects the increased use of recyclates is having and the extent to which manufacturers are affected by the present supply bottlenecks.

Trend Report on the Coloration of Plastics

Masterbatches

Farbkonzentrate (Batches)

Farben, flüssig

Colored Mood Enhancers

Both the quantity of recycled plastics waste and of processed recyclates is continually increasing. However, there are still difficulties with the quality of the recycled plastics, which are impeding replacement of virgin material. In recent years, machinery manufacturers and plastics producers have introduced various further developments that improve the properties of recyclates as well as eliminate unpleasant odors and contaminants.

Plastics recycling is a laborious process. For the recycled material to have the necessary quality, it must first be sorted into the different plastics

Overcoming Difficulties in Plastics Recycling

Extruder

Extrusionsanlagen

Trockner

Waschen und Entfetten

Trockner, Granulat-

Sortierer

Inspektion, Analyse und Sortierung von Rohmaterial

QualitÃ¤tssicherung

QualitÃ¤tssicherung Kunststoff

The Long Road to a Circular Economy

The plastics industry has a variety of materials and technologies available for significantly reducing the ecological footprint of products. There are very few applications for which it is not possible to replace at least a portion of the fossil material with recyclates or bioplastics. Various methods, standards and software tools are available to determine what savings this can achieve.

Determining CO2 Savings from Recycled Materials and Bioplastics

Normen / Standards

Recht allgemein / sonst.

Reducing the CO2 Footprint

Sorting plays a crucial role in the processing of plastic waste. Systems based on artificial intelligence are one way of improving this. Sorting systems manufacturer Tomra has recently presented corresponding technologies. Kunststoffe spoke about this with Felix Flemming and Valerio Sama from Tomra. In the interview, they explain what progress can be made with it, how important digitalization is for this and what improvements it means for food packaging.

Interview on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Waste Sorting

Deep Learning

Datenanalyse

“AI Has Great Potential for  Sorting Food Packaging”

Over the last year, the German branch of the Association of Plastics Manufacturers, PlasticsEurope Deutschland, consistently advocated the technology of chemical recycling. Meanwhile, chemical recycling has not only been criticized by environmental organizations but also from parts of the industry. Kunststoffe interviewed Ingemar Bühler, CEO of the Association, about this criticism and the competition between mechanical and chemical recycling. In the interview, Bühler also addresses further requirements for a circular economy with plastics and explains why he considers a label for plastics products a sensible idea.

Interview with Ingemar Bühler from PlasticsEurope Deutschland

Schröder, Susanne

“There’s No Point in Arguing over Chemical versus Mechanical Recycling”

Digital Trade Fair for Plastics Sustainability

From April 13 – 16, 2021 Hanser launches international virtual trade fair D-Expo Circular Economy for professionals with a focus on sustainability, recycling, eco-design, life-cycle, and more.

The possible uses for plastics are becoming more and more diverse, while at the same time production continues to increase every year, and with it the challenge and responsibility of business and industry to make their use more sustainable, resource-conserving, and environmentally friendly is growing globally. The digital trade fair D-Expo Circular Economy – Digital Trade Fair for Plastics Sustainabilty, from Carl Hanser Verlag, offers an international industry platform for this purpose from April 13–16, 2021, with live interaction, an inspiring program in the auditorium, and manned exhibition booths.

Industrial companies, as well as associations and institutions concerned with the topics of circular economy and sustainability will have the opportunity to present themselves on the platform from April 13–16, 2021. Among them are exhibitors from the fields of machinery, processing equipment, plastics recycling, process management, sustainability, and consulting. Thus, D-Expo Circular Economy creates the opportunity to inform, get informed, and exchange ideas first-hand about important innovations and trends as well as new products and offers, independent of location.

In the auditorium, an inspiring program with web conferences, interviews and presentations on the topic of circular economy will be broadcast via livestream on innovations and trends. After each presentation, individual questions can be put to the experts. Presentation files will be available as “video-on-demand“ on the event‘s website following the fair.

„Following the success of D-Expo Plastics in the fall of 2020, we are going one step further with D-EXPO Circular Economy,“ explains Michael Justus, Head of Business Development at Hanser. „Due to the international visitor response in the fall and at the request of many exhibitors, we are now hosting an English-language trade fair. I am pleased to have Gardner Business Media as our US cooperation partner for this. It is also particularly important to us to give a forum to efforts to build a sustainable plastics industry,“ says Justus.

The digital trade fair offers direct communication between visitors and exhibitors with live interaction and manned booths. D-EXPO Circular Economy stands for a large industry network – and it stands for great transparency: anyone visiting the trade fair agrees to be visible with at least their name when registering. So during the event, „everyone can see everyone“ and, if desired, address other attendees directly via chat. After each presentation in the auditorium, individual questions can be put to the experts.

More information and free registration for visitors at:

<a href="http://www.d-expo-circulareconomy.com" target="_blank">www.d-expo-circulareconomy.com</a>

D-EXPO Circular Economy will take place as a digital event from April 13 to 16, 2021

Michael Justus, Head of Business Development at Hanser: “We want to provide an international marketplace for sustainability solutions developed in the plastics industry.“

News DEXPO Circular Economy update 24.3.21

Possible from anywhere online. <a href="https://www.hanser-tagungen.de/en/d-expo-circulareconomy" target="_blank">www.d-expo-circulareconomy.com</a>

April 13 – 15, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (CET) each day with manned trade fair booths.

Visitors can also view trade fair booths and download information outside of attendance hours; exhibitors can then be contacted via email.

Free of charge, registration at: <a href="https://www.hanser-tagungen.de/en/d-expo-circulareconomy" target="_blank">www.d-expo-circulareconomy.com</a>

Annemarie Scharl-Send, Tel. +49–8144–99695–12, <a href="mailto:annemarie.scharlsend@hanser.de">annemarie.scharlsend@hanser.de</a>