The Intercluster conference on plastic waste to new materials that was held on November 9 in Barcelona brought together experts from various fields who highlighted the urgency of a paradigm shift in the plastics recycling sector.

The participants, among whom were representatives of institutions, companies and associations, agreed on the need to professionalize the sector, adjust processes to regulations and, above all, change the public's perception of products with recycled content.

During the opening session, Victoria Ferrer, general director of the Catalonia Recovery Association, presented the challenges and opportunities of the recycling sector, highlighting the need for collaboration between actors to move towards a circular economy. Carme Balcells, head of innovation projects at the Centro Español de Plásticos (CEP), gave a thorough review of the current situation in the plastic sector and its recycling, while Eva Verdejo, head of the Recycling and Environment Business Line Environment of AIMPLAS, he spoke about new recycling and waste separation technologies, underlining the importance of technological innovation in recycling processes. Finally, Xavier Delgado, from the Waste Agency of Catalonia, presented the Industrial Symbiosis Platform of Catalonia, a tool to promote the reuse of materials between companies and thus promote the circular economy.

Ecodesign and circular economy

In the eco-design panel, moderated by Eva Verdejo, the importance of considering recycling from the beginning of product design was highlighted. The experts pointed out that designing with the reuse of materials in mind is key to making an effective circular economy viable. This vision includes creating closed-cycle models, where waste returns to its initial application, as well as open cycles that can bring these materials to new uses.

The panel stressed the need to establish collaborations in the value chain, especially between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which could share investments and processes to compete with large industrial groups. The need for good communication with the consumer to influence their perception and encourage the acceptance of recycled materials was also highlighted.

Improvement and optimization of the properties of recycled plastics

For their part, in the panel on improving the properties of recycled plastics, moderated by Ona Bombí, Cluster Manager of the MAV Cluster, and Carme Balcells, responsible for CEP innovation projects, the speakers analyzed the technical challenges that that recycled plastics are often of lower quality compared to virgin materials.

Proposed solutions include the use of additives or reinforcements, such as fibers and nanomaterials, to increase strength and durability. However, this strategy raises an environmental dilemma, since additives can affect the sustainability of the product.

The experts also pointed out other problems, such as the difficulty of guaranteeing transparency, homogeneity of colors or the quality of the final product given the contamination by impurities, as well as the need for traceability to generate trust. In addition, it was discussed about the high costs of recycling and the need for adapted machinery, which currently slows down the penetration of recycled materials in the market.

Markets of secondary raw materials

At the table on secondary raw materials markets, moderated by Xavier Delgado from the Waste Agency of Catalonia, it was considered that in order to boost these markets a change of mentality would be needed that would make recyclers assume a role closer to that of transformers industrial, with professional processes and focused on high quality. It was also proposed that manufacturers of virgin plastics integrate recycled material to ensure a safe and stable supply.

Other aspects that were addressed include the difficulty of adapting small businesses to certification regulations, the need for regulation of recycled material that comes from outside Europe to encourage local consumption and the review of regulations that allow a more extensive use of recycled plastics in safe applications.

Certification of recycled plastic materials

The table on the certification of recycled plastic materials, moderated by Ángel Méndez from KIWA, discussed the importance of establishing certification mechanisms that generate consumer confidence and facilitate the adaptation of companies to the new regulations. The need to homogenize these processes and to have certifications adapted to the different types of plastic was highlighted to ensure quality and facilitate their incorporation into the production chain.

In conclusion, the speakers agreed that to ensure a sustainable recycled plastics market, significant investments and a clear regulation that generates confidence are needed. In this context, the clusters emerged as possible dynamizers of this change, creating synergies between the different actors and promoting models of extended producer responsibility that ensure financial support and stability in the market.

Finally, the importance of sensitizing the end consumer on the value of recycled products was underlined, helping to change their perception to see these materials as a quality and sustainability option.