TRANSFORMing single use plastic and creating a CE-business model


Project Summary

An introduction

The European Union manufactures millions of plastic products each year, however, only a fraction of these are made using recycled plastic. Even more surprising, half of the plastic waste collected for recycling is exported outside the EU for processing.  The EU plastics industry is thereby losing valuable potential raw materials at a time when demand is increasing. In recognition of this, as well as the possible environmental and social benefits, TRANSFORM-CE brings together four North West  European countries to develop innovative solutions for recycling these materials into new products for a circular economy.

Transforming local plastic waste into raw materials for new products

TRANSFORM-CE is using two innovative technologies to create new products from single use plastic waste – additive manufacturing (AM) and intrusion-extrusion moulding (IEM). To support this, an R&D Centre (UK) and Prototyping Unit (BE) have been set up to develop and scale the production of recycled filaments for AM, whilst an Intrusion-Extrusion Moulding Facility, the Green Plastic Factoryhas been established in the NL to expand the range of products manufactured using IEM. Businesses are being encouraged to take up these technologies and recycled materials, and to develop new products and circular business models, through TRANSFORM-CE’s business support package. This includes the provision of sample filaments, as well as help with product design, prototyping, business model innovation, material analysis and product testing. Through this, and the project’s business support and outreach activities, TRANSFORM-CE is demonstrating the potential value of single use plastic waste, the possibilities for recycling it into new products, and a scalable model for widespread uptake across North West Europe.

 

 

Who benefits?

The development of a circular economy for single use plastic waste and the strengthening of the market for recyclate will bring many benefits to North West Europe. It will help businesses to become independent of virgin and recycled plastic imports, valorise local waste streams, stimulate demand for recycled plastic products, and reduce the environmental impacts associated with the extraction, processing, landfilling and incineration of virgin plastic. 

TRANSFORM-CE will not only divert hundreds of tonnes of single use plastic waste from landfill across North West Europe, but will create new circular economy opportunities for businesses, based on demand for recyclate both locally and further afield.

Expected results

  • 1 pilot plant (IEM) in the Netherlands
  • 2 AM facilities in the United Kingdom and Belgium.
  • Diversion of 308.2 tonnes of plastic over the 3 yrs from landfill/EfW.
  • An estimated reduction in CO2 of 478 tonnes (based LCA natureline Save Plastics of 1.3kg net CO2 reduction per kg plastic diverted).
  • 20 businesses across NWE will use the IEM/AM technology to embed recycled municipal plastic into the design and manufacturing of new/existing products.

Events

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News

In the Spotlight: 10XL Business Case Study

Posted on 06-05-2021

An important component of the TRANSFORM-CE project is understanding the business context for creating a circular economy for single use plastic waste. To achieve this, several case... Read more

Meet the Partners: Save Plastics

Posted on 06-05-2021

Save Plastics is an innovative Dutch company that specialises in the recycling of plastic waste into new, value-added products, such as outdoor furniture, decking and planters. Read more

View more

Project Partners

Lead partner

Organisation Address Email Website
Manchester Metropolitan University Chester street
Manchester
M1 5GD
United Kingdom
c.banks@mmu.ac.uk www.mmu.ac.uk
Name Contact Name Email Country
Materia Nova Olivier Talon Belgium
Social Environmental and Economic Solutions (SOENECS) Ltd David Greenfield United Kingdom
Gemeente Almere Johan Luiks Netherlands
Save Plastics Bram Peters Netherlands
Technische Universiteit Delft Zjenja Doubrovski Netherlands
Hogeschool Utrecht Martijn Rietbergen Netherlands
Hochschule Trier Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld Institut für angewandtes Stoffstrommanagement (IfaS) Ulrike Kirschnick Germany
bCircular GmbH Tobias Gruben Germany

Lead Partner:
The Interreg NW Europe funded project, TRANSFORM-CE, is lead by Manchester Metropolitan University.

Circular Waste Management organisations:
They are joined by circular waste management organisations bCircular GmbH based in Germany, and Save Plastics in The Netherlands, in partnership with sub-partners Interseroh Dienstleistungs GmbH (DE), and Cirwinn (NL).

Public authority:
Public authority, Municipality of Almere, is also a key contributor to the project, having built a Green Plastic Factory in Almere and delivered household plastic waste as a resource. They continue to coordinate project communications.

Research and test centres:
The project is actively supported by the following research and test centres:
Materia Nova, IfaS, Manchester Metropolitan University, SOENECS, Hogeschool Utrecht, Technische Universiteit Delft.

Member of the advisory board:
The following organisations have committed helping the partnership reach the project objective to uptake the CE Plastic Road Map and are members of the advisory board:

  • Suez Ltd (UK)
  • Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)
  • Repic (UK)
  • The Environment Agency (UK)
  • Plastiwin (BE)
  • Wallonia Region (BE)
  • Province Flevoland (NL)
  • The Netherlands Enterprise Agency – RVO (DE)
  • Royal Dutch Waste Management Association – NVRD (DE)
  • Landesamt fur Umwelt Rheinland-Pfalz - LfU RLP (DE)

Associated partners:
A range of organisations will also share their expertise and experience over the course of the project (associate partners):

In the UK - Entreprise Europe Network, Dyson Ltd, Express Group Ltd, SCALED3D, Greater Manchester Business Support, WRAP.
In Germany – Cortec GmbH, Rhein Lahn Kreis AW, MVA Müllverwertungsanlage Bonn GmbH (MVA BN
In Belgium - IPIC Plastic, Intercommunale de Développement économique et d'Aménagement du Coeur du Hainaut (IDEA)

Events



News


First International Upcycling Network Conference

Posted on

TRANSFORM-CE was presented to a worldwide audience at the first hybrid International Upcycling Network Conference (IUNC) on 28 October 2021. TRANSFORM-CE was proud to be invited to share its objective of helping businesses recycle and upcycle single-use plastics (SUPs) in an effort to stimulate a circular economy and a market for recyclates and thus reduce the burden of plastic pollution on the environment. Read More

Reaching out to businesses

Posted on

Scholars collaborating on the TRANSFROM-CE project have been studying good practices of Circular Economy Business Models. These lessons are being used to support companies that want to establish a circular business, or transform their current business in order to be ready for a circular economy. Read More


Business Case Studies



FAQ

What is Transform-CE

TRANSFORM-CE is an Interreg NW Europe funded project bringing together partners from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium to turn single use plastic waste (SUP) into valuable, new products. To do this, the project is using two innovative technologies: Intrusion Extrusion Moulding (IEM), which is moulding low value, mixed plastic waste into larger products, such as cladding, roof tiles and outdoor furniture, and Additive Manufacturing (AM), where high-grade plastics are separated by material type and extruded into filaments that can be 3D printed into a variety of products.  The project is working closely with businesses and stakeholders to support the successful uptake of the solutions developed.  

The focus of TRANSFORM-CE is also to support the creation of new, circular products with complementary circular economy business models to ensure that solutions are commercially viable, leading to asignificant diversion of  SUP from landfill and incineration, to feedstocks for AM and IEM.

This approach is bringing together SUP waste producers, waste handlers, plastic engineering companies, consumers, public authorities and product manufacturers to provide a closed loop system that is technologically, operationally and commercially viable, securing investment in the creation of additional IEM and AM processing centres, replicating TRANSFORM-CE’s solutions across NWE-regions.

What examples exist of the circular economy in practice?

Circular economy processes and initiatives are already being implemented  across North West Europe. View a range of examples from both businesses and project partners.

Using our content or research

You can use our content if you follow these guidelines: Transform-CE is providing its content on the basis you will respect its rights under copyright and other intellectual property law. You may use; adapt; copy; and/or translate the Transform-CE content provided on its/our website only for educational or personal use, to further You must acknowledge that Transform-CE is the source of the original content by ensuring the correct form of the copyright notice is marked on any use, adaptations, copies or translations of all, or part, of that content. We also ask that you make it clear in your accreditation that it is an unofficial translation by yourselves and you do not suggest or imply that the content has been endorsed or approved by us.

- General website content: Copyright © Transform-CE (YEAR),  www.nweurope.eu/transform-ce
- Publications: Copyright © Transform-CE www.nweurope.eu/transform-ce Title in italics, page reference, (YEAR)

You must not use the content provided to you  by Transform-CE in any commercial way or commercially exploit it in any way; use that content for any purpose other than to pursue a fair understanding of the circular economy; interpret or adapt the content in a way which contradicts or perverts its original intent; use that content for any illegal purpose; licence that content; sell that content; rent that content; lease that content; and/or assign or transfer your rights in that content.



Product catalog

TRANSFORM-CE is an international research project about the uptake of recycled single use plastic (SUP) feedstock. A core part of this project is to provide in-depth business support to businesses willing to use recycled plastic materials in (new) products. In line with the technologies of the pilot plants from the TRANSFORM-CE project, cases will represent either Intrusion-Extrusion Moulding (IEM) technology or Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology. Throughout the TRANSFORM-CE project and business support cases, several products have been (re)designed. These products will be showcased in this document.

Product catalog

Educational packs about plastic recycling

We are pleased to offer educational programmes for primary and secondary schools to learn about the collection, treatment and recycling of plastic waste.

Through these educational programmes schools get the opportunity to use the teaching materials about plastic recycling. The lessons consist of interactive assignments, visual materials about the process of recycling plastics and a teacher manual. Additional activities are possible on location.

See the programmes below. They are available in three languages: English, German and Dutch.

Report Waste volume analysis report

The aim of this report is to provide analysis of the crucial factors that affect the future volume of plastic feedstock available for AM and IEM manufacturing uses. It looks at the factors that create the single use plastic environment, to identify how to increase the circularity of plastics through recycling, this reducing the amount that is single use.

Waste Volume Analysis Report

You can read the full report here.

Plastic Recycling

The project is also developing new filament formulas to improve performance and add functionality, such as conductivity, flexibility and reinforced strength, as well as conducting a life cycle analysis for the materials and technology.

You will find here:

TRANSFORM-CE Filament Request Form

Businesses, schools and individuals can also request free spools of recycle filament to trial here. https://forms.office.com/r/paSkE9Edm5.

Guidance documents

PLA V1 (Polylactic Acid)
PET V1 (Polyethylene Terephthalate) 
ABS V1 (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)

Plastic Circular Economy Roadmap

Identifying business needs and opportunities for a Circular Economy Plastic Road Map. The results in this report form a basis for formulating the CE roadmap, which further examines the needs of companies and the requirements from the industry/other parties in the chain. Seven in-depth workshops are done to achieve an inventory of the various barriers and enablers organisations face with the uptake of recycled plastic feedstock.

Report: Inventory of barriers and enablers for the uptake of recycled plastic

As part of the TRANSFORM-CE project, this report identifies industry and business needs to use recycled materials in production processes. This document combines the outputs of workshops held in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium. The results form a basis for formulating the CE roadmap, which further examines the needs of companies and the requirements from the industry/other parties in the chain.

Download here.

Academic resources

1) The review of the results from 46 articles demonstrated that factors such as environmental benefits, perceived quality, safety, risks, emotions, and individual differences influence consumer acceptance of products made from recycled materials. The present review presents the state-of-the-art of the existing literature and future potential directions that can be fruitful for academics and practitioners interested in the topic.

Report: Consumer acceptance of products made from recycled materials: A scoping review

Consumers have a positive attitude towards products made from recycled materials; however, they frequently end up not purchasing them. To shed light on the factors that influence consumer preferences and acceptance of products made from recycled materials, a scoping review was conducted with the following objectives: (1) to explore which factors are drivers of the acceptance of products made from recycled materials, (2) to identify and analyse potential barriers for their adoption, and (3) to formulate recommendations for future research in order to further enhance choices of alternatives made from recycled materials.

Download here. 

2) How can companies increase the appeal of recycled plastics to consumers? In this paper, we propose a set of seven guidelines intended to highlight the value of products made from recycled plastics, tackle any perceived risks, and thereby enhance consumer acceptance of such products. Specifically, we highlight how aspects related to product design, marketing elements and business models, can increase consumer evaluations and adoption of products made from recycled plastics. The proposed guidelines provide future directions that could be inspiring for both academics and managers interested in the topics of consumer behaviour, circular economy, and sustainability.

Report: Guidelines to Foster Consumer Acceptance of Products Made from Recycled Plastics

3) This study presented eight business requirements that require actions from other actors in the value chain: design for recycling, optimised waste processing, standardisation, material knowledge, showing possibilities, information and education, cooperation, and regulation and government intervention. The main scientific contributions were the value chain perspective and the applied relevance of the findings. Future studies may delve deeper into the individual factors identified.

Report: Understanding Business Requirements for Increasing the Uptake of Recycled Plastic: A Value Chain Perspective

4) This report identifies the treatment options that waste plastic can go through at the end of its first cycle of use. It compares the impacts of resource usage between the options. 

’resource efficiency performance of treatment options’

5) This report provides an overview of the individual and contextual factors that have been found to influence households’ recycling and sorting of their waste, including recycling of plastic waste. It also unveils a comprehensive overview on how specific intervention strategies could encourage households to recycle more frequently and effectively. Finally, the academic report includes guidelines that can help foster households’ recycling and sorting behaviour.

‘understanding householders perspectives on sorting plastic waste’

Municipal Collection and Sorting Mechanisms

This report focuses on many of the processes plastic goes through from the point a consumer decides to recycle it until it is available for reuse in an IEM or AM facility. This includes the pre-sorting by consumers, kerbside collection, and the sorting mechanisms at different stages in the plastic waste recycling system.

Report: Municipal Collection and Sorting Mechanisms

Support to Business



The Navigation Tool

This tool guides you through the findings of the TRANSFORM-CE project. The information in this tool will help organisations along the value chain with the uptake of recycled materials, using IEM and AM technologies.

Throughout the document:

  • you can find links to our project reports and publications
  • find contact details of our partners if you wish to contact them for questions or possible collaborations
  • learn how to use recycled plastic with IEM and AM technologies
  • discover application possibilities for recycled plastic
  • get inspired by best practises and examples of support and tests provided to other businesses.

Link to the Navigation Tool:

Navigation Tool

Watch the video on the Navigation Tool:

 

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