Mixed plastic waste poses a significant challenge for recycling, as it cannot simply be processed together. This issue is at the heart of the international research project Syschemiq, which focused over a period of four years on the realisation of a transnational circular economy for plastics. In this project, 21 consortium partners from five EU countries worked together to overcome technical and non-technical obstacles in the recycling process.
A significant result of Syschemiq is the developed concepts for sorting plastic waste, which can be applied to the border region of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. These concepts include approaches for chemical recycling as well as strategies for scalable circular solutions. A central element of the project was the inclusion of consumers to promote broader acceptance and participation. The results of this work are now being further developed in particular at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands. Syschemiq project partners include Siegwerk, Sabic and Plastics Recyclers Europe, among others.
Consumer behaviour study
Fraunhofer UMSICHT was involved as one of the project partners, particularly in the fields of ‚design for recycling‘, ‚collection‘ and the ‚city lab programme‘. The scientists produced a study and developed a tool that systematically integrates consumer behaviour and recycling habits into life cycle assessment for the first time. Under the heading of ‚design for recycling‘, the research shows how different design variants and disposal scenarios influence the environmental impacts of packaging.
„The study incorporates consumer behaviour into the life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of yoghurt packaging, taking into account various design variants and disposal scenarios,« explains Dr Anna Kerps, project researcher at Fraunhofer UMSICHT. Key recommendations for product design: larger portion sizes should be favoured to reduce material consumption per kilogram of yoghurt, simple PP lid films used in combination with PP pots, and clear, highly visible separation instructions and standardised recycling symbols provided to improve sorting accuracy.
Identify potential for optimisation
As part of the project, the collection and sorting processes for packaging waste in Germany were also analysed in order to identify potential for optimisation. A „City Lab“ was established to examine citizens' consumption and disposal behaviour and to develop educational formats for schools. In a Podcast At the final event of the Syschemiq project, Anna Kerps explains opportunities and challenges for resource-efficient packaging design, talks about the biggest obstacles in recycling chains, and discusses the advantages of plastic compared to glass or cardboard.
SourceSyschemiq
